Where Love Went Wrong
by Nichole Thompson
Summary: Bonnie puts a spell on Caroline to reverse her feelings of sadness over Damon and Matt, which is mistakenly put on Elena as well. What happens when Elena's love for one Salvatore becomes loathing? And who will be there for the fall-out? AU post 1x10
1. Day Old Hate

**Day Old Hate**

_Now you still speak of day old hate  
Though your whole world has gone up into flames  
And isn't it great to find that you're really worth nothing  
And how safe it is to feel safe_

_Day Old Hate by City and Colour_

* * *

A/N: Takes place beginning halfway through Season 1 Episode 10- 'The Turning Point'. Elena and Stefan do not make love and Elena does not find out about Katherine. She also does not end up driving away and hitting someone in her car. Everything starts the night of the career fair after Damon and Stefan take on Logan. Damon lets Logan get away and Elena drives Stefan home, but doesn't stay.

* * *

"I know that it's hard to understand," there was a pause as he took in a breath, Stefan's eyes set on Elena's. "But I'm doing this for you."

Elena's eyes closed, her teeth biting down on her bottom lip. She listened as he opened the door and got out of the car. Her eyes opened slowly, and watched as Stefan walked into the house. And then she drove away, back home with her aunt and her brother. She would make Stefan see that she belonged in his life; that despite what he thought, he brought more good into her life than bad. She would make him see it, even if it was the last thing she did.

The drive home was filled with regret for not stopping Stefan when she wanted to. She should have gotten out of the car, she should have stopped him. She should have told him everything that was going through her mind, because she knew that him leaving was not for her benefit. It was because he was afraid of letting her close.

Now, Elena sat at the bay window in her bedroom, her diary open on her lap. But despite sitting there for several moments, she had yet to write anything down. Instead, she sat staring off into the inky blue black sky, thinking about Stefan. She was convinced not to let his last words to her be his last words to her. She would see him again; tell him how deeply she needed him in her life. He would show up at least to say goodbye. And then she would tell him everything. The last several weeks had been anything but normal, and as much as she wanted to think that she could not be with him, her mind and her heart were both convinced of the fact that she could not be without him.

A deep sigh passed her lips as she realized the problem with this scenario. Despite knowing that Stefan and his brother were both vampires, the problem was just that, the vampire that was his brother. Damon had been a thorn in her side since he had arrived. Elena had tried to see the good in Damon when she had first met him, but she had seen him do too much damage to have any illusions about him. The Salvatore name and those deep, endless green eyes were the only things the brothers had in common. Damon was the Hyde to Stefan's Jekyll in every way. The yin to Stefan's perfect, beautiful yang. Elena shook her head, laughing silently to herself. That just sounded ridiculous.

Besides, there was no use in trying to deny that Damon was not also equally good looking. It was no wonder Caroline had gone after him so quickly. She could never let Elena show her up, especially not when it came to men. Once Stefan had favored Elena, it was only a matter of time before Caroline found someone better looking.

Not that Elena would admit she found Damon better looking. She squeezed her eyes shut and smacked her forehead with her diary. Not even in thought was that okay.

It would never matter anyway. Elena was in love with Stefan. She got weak in the knees just looking at him and after he had told her that he wasn't leaving yet, there was no reason for her to wonder what she would do without him there. She had seen the look of concern in his eyes when he told her that she needed to be safe. Those deep green orbs held more love and concern for her than she had ever seen in anyone else.

And after seeing what Damon had done to Bonnie and Lexi, there was no way she could be friends with him. She had no inclination to be friends with him anymore. Damon was dangerous and volatile at best. And he always had some hidden agenda that he would share with no one. After the heartache she had felt in her young life, he was the last person she needed to be befriending right now.

----

Bonnie answered the door in her pajamas, surprised to find Caroline there.

"Hey, what's going on?" The former questioned, worried.

"Can I come in for a bit? My mom's not home and I just can't be there alone right now."

Bonnie moved to let her friend pass through the doorway. "Yeah, definitely, of course."

Caroline pulled her jacket off and flopped down on the couch. Not only was she in no mood to be alone, Caroline was in no condition to be alone. Not after what she had been through that night. Logan had attacked her, and then she had woken up in Stefan's arms. He had laid her down in her bed and then disappeared. It had seriously been the most ridiculous night of her life.

Bonnie grabbed a blanket and sat down beside her friend, covering the two of them before flipping on the TV.

"I don't want to watch anything," Caroline complained, turning to face Bonnie.

"Alright…" Bonnie replied, switching the television off and returning Caroline's gaze. "What happened to you tonight, anyway?"

Caroline gulped. "Logan Fell… attacked me."

"He… attacked you?"

Caroline nodded. "Why am I always the one that bad things happen to? Why is it only the crazy guys that go for me? Damon… what he put me through. And I can't even remember most of my time with him, Bonnie. That's the weirdest part. I would wake up with bruises all over me, and no memory of what happened. And now Logan. I mean really, what else can really happen to me? Why me?"

Bonnie sighed and pulled her friend close, running her fingers through Caroline's beautiful blonde hair. "I don't know, sweetie."

"I just want to… I don't know, forget everything, move on from it all. I want to forget about Damon, forget about Matt and how he's been leading me on, because I swear to God, if I have to hear him say one more thing about Elena, I'm going to scream! Why can't I just… forget?"

Bonnie smiled, stood up from the couch and held her hand out to Caroline. "I think I can do that for you."

---

Damon made it to the warehouse in lightning speed. He spotted the sheriff several feet away and slowed his pace to a normal human walk.

"Where's the body?" He growled, eyes locked on Sheriff Forbes. She swallowed hard, stunned by the ferocious tone in Damon's voice. He had only ever been respectful and helpful.

"Over there," the sheriff answered, pointing toward the ambulance whose doors were mostly closed.

This was not part of the plan. Someone else had gotten to Logan; and if Damon found out that it was his brother who had done this, his wrath would not be quick or painless for Stefan.

Damon made his way to the ambulance, shoving the doors out of his way and climbing into the back of the emergency vehicle.

"Damon, what's going on?" Sheriff Forbes questioned, moving closer to the ambulance.

Damon's eyes searched the body quickly, his nose picked up faint traces of someone. The scent of whoever it was that had killed Logan Fell. And it was Stefan's lucky day that the scent didn't belong to him.

---

Elena switched off the light and climbed into bed. Her hand rested on the necklace she hadn't taken off since Stefan had given it to her. She wondered what, if anything, Damon would try to do if the necklace had mysteriously disappeared. But her better judgment told her not to test fate.

Glancing at her nightstand, Elena picked up her phone, nails idly drumming as she considered whether or not to call Stefan. She was still thinking about how she should have stopped Stefan from getting out of the car earlier that night. The regrets were piling up and as much as she didn't want to think he would, there was a part of her that wondered if Stefan really would leave without saying goodbye. Maybe that night had been his way of saying goodbye.

That did it. Elena had to have her last say. And she knew that Stefan would be enough of a gentleman to at least give her that much. Hopefully, she would be able to change his mind.

Opening a new text message, Elena thought for a moment about what to say to him. Finally she settled on the short and sweet. "I need a proper goodbye before you go. Meet me at my house tomorrow morning."

Elena hit send and closed her phone, setting it back on the nightstand and rolling over onto her other side, closing her eyes and praying that sleep would come quickly and dreamlessly. Oh, that she should be so lucky.

---

Bonnie stared down at the candles on the table. She had just lit them with her mind and she gulped, wondering if what she was about to do would do any good. Grams had not taught her much about witchcraft, but with the book she had borrowed from her grandmother, Bonnie was sure that she could pull off the spell that she had in mind. Things with Caroline had gotten into a perfect disaster because of Damon. Bonnie's teeth clenched at the thought of his name. What a horrible, wretched person she had come to know Damon Salvatore as. He seemed interested in nothing else than his own schemes. Everything he had done to Caroline, everything he had done to Elena. Bonnie shuddered at the conversation she had with Elena. Learning the truth about Stephan and Damon was more than she had bargained for, but she would rather know the truth about them. She was less likely to get into trouble involving them if she knew. Or at least, she hoped so.

Her fingers touched the hollow of her neck as Bonnie recalled the last time she had seen Damon. She was grateful that she could not remember much about that night. Emily had done plenty of damage inhabiting Bonnie the way she had, and Damon's attack on Bonnie afterward left little to the imagination as to what would be done if anyone ever dared stand in his way again. Even though she felt bad that Stefan was leaving Elena alone and heartbroken, Bonnie would be all-too happy to see their town rid of Damon Salvatore.

Bonnie took Caroline's hands in her own and closed her eyes. God, she hoped she didn't screw this up.

---

Stefan closed his eyes tightly. Elena would never understand why they couldn't be together. In fact, he was beginning to wonder why he had come here in the first place. He had been compelled to see her, to know her. The girl that mirrored Katherine in looks, but was so different under the surface. Elena was strong and talented. She took care of herself and those she loved in a way that Katherine had never been capable of. Elena was warm; she was kind and caring and she accepted him with all of his faults. She knew the truth about him and still she cared.

And now, this message from her about a proper goodbye. How could he, in good conscious, deny her anything? She, who meant so much more to him than his own life? Of course he would see her, try as he might to escape it. His feelings for her would never alter, the way his feelings for Katherine had. His feelings for Katherine had been weak, human emotions. It had taken more than 100 years and truly loving Elena to realize that what he had shared with Katherine paled in comparison.

A knock on his door.

Stefan pulled his arm out from behind his head and sat up, watching Damon saunter through the door like nothing at all had happened that night.

"What do you want Damon? I'm not in the mood for games."

"Come on now, Stefan. What happened to teamwork and all that bullshit from earlier?"

Stefan's brow furrowed into a deep scowl.

"Logan," Damon said, an amused look on his face. "Never confessed to me who turned him."

Stefan raised a brow. "I don't understand…"

"Looks like you and I are going to be sticking around Mystic Falls for a while longer, little brother," Damon's voice lacked the concern that should have been apparent. He smirked instead. "Haven't you heard, there are vampires in our midst."

* * *

A/N: This is my first attempt at a Vampire Diaries fic and I would love some feedback. I wanted to get a general plotline down for everyone before I started delving into my crazy idea. I hope that you all enjoyed it so far, and I promise I will update as soon as I am able. Please review. I'll write sexy Damon out of the story if I don't get any. Thanks a million. :)


	2. It's Beginning to Get to Me

**It's Beginning to Get to Me**

_I tried to tell you before I left  
But I was screaming under my breath  
You are the only thing that makes sense  
Just ignore all this present tense_

_It's Beginning to Get to Me by Snow Patrol_

* * *

Damon was truly in no mood to play games after the horrible night he had had, but he knew that there was no way Stefan would help him on his own. So, games must be played. He let out a sigh. This town was boring him. The only thing he had been interested in was the thought of seeing Katherine again. But the little witch, Bonnie Bennett had gone and torn that dream from him. So what the hell was he supposed to amuse himself with now? The world was so bleak when time had no meaning. But tonight, some hope had been restored.

Logan Fell, of all people had been the one to restore that hope; knowing that there were others out there that wanted to get into that tomb, Damon wanted to seriously get down to business to finally be reunited with Katherine. But, of course Damon could never stop the vampires on his own. No, he would need his brother's help for that. And nothing motivated Stefan like the fear of losing the darling little brunette who lived on the other side of town. Damon had to admit that Elena had intrigued him at first; how could she not? After more than a hundred years he had not forgotten the perfect heart shaped curve of Katherine's face. Everything down to the contour of their lips and the contour of their bodies was identical. It was like fate was teasing him with Elena. Such a breakable little human girl that could never be what Katherine had been.

But somehow, Damon had found himself drawn to the tree outside Elena's window on more than one occasion over the past several months. He couldn't pin down exactly what it was that had him captivated with her. Perhaps the pursuit of something that Stefan held so dear; or perhaps the vervain, that kept him from using his Powers on her. The 'od fashioned' thrill of the chase, and getting Elena just to say that he had. Still, to say that he was devoid of emotion for Elena would be a lie; not that Damon would ever admit emotion for anyone. Scratch that, anyone other than Katherine. And Damon would have Katherine back, even if he himself had to summon her into Elena's writhing, shrieking body.

So, here he stood in Stefan's doorway. He had examined Logan Fell's body just moments ago and was trying to find a way to salvage the evening. Damon had been interested in what Fell had promised to disclose at the old church, but since that promise of that had been deduced to Fell's body in the back of an ambulance in a body bag, Damon had little to show for his evening. As he usually did, Damon resigned himself to toying around with Stefan. Besides, nothing put a smile on Damon's face like screwing around with his little brother. And after the shitty night that he had, a little pick-me-up was just what he needed.

Stefan shifted his weight uneasily on the bed, his eyes dead set on his brother. "What do you mean other vampires? I thought you took care of Logan."

Damon smirked. "I _did_, considering you were too weak. But that doesn't change the fact that whoever turned him is still out there. And it's only a matter of time before they strike again."

Stefan let out a sigh. "Why do you care so much, Damon? I thought you were leaving? Paris and all of that bull you were pushing on me earlier."

"You mean to tell me you actually plan on leaving Elena here to fend for herself?"

Stefan's concerned eyes lifted to meet his brother's gaze. "She has her vervain necklace. You can't do anything to her."

Damon's smirk grew wide. "Correction. I can't compel her." His eyes flickered with evil desire and craving. "I thought I had taught you by now that I can do whatever the hell I please. Didn't the coach and Vicki and your vamp girlfriend teach you that?"

Stefan's eyes burned with a vengeance.

"Right, insensitive, I forgot." Damon held up his hands in mock innocent defense and rolled his eyes, pushing off the doorframe. He flipped through a book on Stefan's desk before taking a seat in the chair sitting next to the large mahogany desk; Stefan's homework scattered across it.

"Damon, please leave. You know that you don't actually want to be in Mystic Falls. And if I hadn't been sticking around, you would have been long gone."

Half of Damon's mouth pulled up into a crooked smile. "True. But what's a small town for but to bring families together? Come on, you can't tell me that you don't like having me around."

"Despite the fact that we share a name, Damon, we aren't family." Stefan walked to the desk and pulled a journal from Damon's hand. "Don't touch that," he added.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Brooding letters for the girl? But wait, which one? Maybe I should clarify, brooding letters for Elena, or for Katherine?"

Stefan sighed. "Is this really all you are here for? To bring up any and everything you can to try to annoy or bother me?"

Damon shrugged. "It's cathartic."

He stood up and was inches from Stefan's face in the next instant. "You know that no matter where you are in the world, Stefan, your darling little Elena will never be safe. Not from me, and not from all of those other vampires out there. And especially not from the one that turned Logan."

Stefan took a step back. "What are you getting at, Damon? What is the point of all of this?"

Damon tapped the side of Stefan's head. "Think, little brother. Why would a vampire go through the trouble of turning that weasely little scum, Logan Fell?" A beat. "To get close to Jenna Sommers. Because if they're close to Jenna…"

Stefan winced. "They're close to Elena."

Damon smirked again, moving at impossible speeds to Stefan's window and looking out into the starless night. "Bingo."

"But why would they want to…" Stefan turned to the window where Damon had been standing just a split second ago. But his brother was gone.

* * *

Caroline rolled her eyes as Bonnie let go of her hands. "That's it?" she chided coolly, obviously not impressed with the spell that Bonnie had just preformed.

Bonnie nodded, looking shy and slightly unsure of herself. "It will take some time though. It's not going to happen all at once. The spell should be in full swing by the time you wake up in the morning. Its magic will be at its height in 24 hours. And then you're free and clear from all of the men holding you back."

A smile crossed Bonnie's features and she blew out the candles in the room, drawing the girls into a chilling darkness. The room was dimly lit by the blue-white streams that the moon cast through the window.

Caroline, on the other hand, still seemed skeptical. It wasn't like her to believe in all of this witchy stuff. Caroline was a firm believer in knowing only what was seen. Religion had never been something she had been interested in, and her superficial lifestyle stemmed from the fact that appearances were everything. But if Bonnie could truly pull this off somehow, Caroline would have little choice but to believe. All at once, exhaustion from the day crashed down on her and Caroline sat on the edge of Bonnie's bed, rubbing gently at her eyes.

When her eyes opened and readjusted in the dim light, she noticed that Bonnie was holding out something for her.

"Come on, you can sleep here tonight," Bonnie said, handing the pajamas to Caroline. "There's no way my dad would let me drive you home right now, and you're way too out of it to drive yourself anywhere."

Caroline nodded and quietly padded to the bathroom, to change into the borrowed clothing. Bonnie had turned the bed down by the time she had returned to the bedroom, and she crawled in bed next to her friend, who had a book open on her lap.

"Bonnie, you really believe in all this… stuff, don't you?"

Bonnie took a moment to reply. She let out a long breath and then said, "Care- I have seen too much to not believe."

Caroline nodded, laying her head down on the pillow and closing her eyes.

* * *

Elena's sleep was anything but dreamless that night. She woke up several times in the middle of the night with cold sweats, and at one point, at 4:19 she got out of bed and went to the bathroom, filling her glass with water and taking a sip as she looked at herself in the mirror. The dreams did not bode well on the conversation she would be having with Stefan in just a few short hours. In most of her dreams, he left regardless of what she said. But the last dream had been the most unsettling of them all.

She had finished telling Stefan that she loved him, that she couldn't be without him and that she needed him to stay with her. And then suddenly, he transformed, short spiked hair growing longer, face thinning the tiniest bit and last but not least he grew a good two inches. Until the man standing before her was Damon.

That had been the last straw for Elena. She knew that there had to be some way to get him off of her mind. She couldn't believe that she was actually allowing him to interrupt her sleep like this. She scoffed at the pleasure he would have taken in knowing what he was doing to her. Damon was never one to keep his mouth shut about what gave him 'pleasure'. Elena scoffed again, quickly turning her mind to more sane, rational things.

Pulling out an old photo album, Elena gingerly ran her fingers along the cover. The word _Family_ scrawled neatly across the top made her smile sadly before opening the first page. Thinking of her mother and father often helped calm Elena's nerves and quiet her fears. Flipping open to the first page, Elena could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. Recalling a time when things were easy, a time when her family was happy. Recalling a time when she could actually call where she lived a home, when she could call the people she lived with her family. It was hard to believe that she had been happy a few months ago; it was hard to believe that there was a time when things were easy.

Elena shook her head, pushing the thoughts from her mind. She would be happy again; she could, if Stefan would let her close to him. She wanted to be blissful again and she wanted to do that with…

Elena shut the book and crawled into bed. Her mind was running on overdrive and all she really wanted to do was get some sleep and forget about everything. Turning the lights off again and falling into the comfort and warmth of her bed, Elena closed her eyes. One thought kept running rampant through her mind and despite her every effort to squelch the thought, it remained constant. Why, when she thought about the one she wanted to be happy with, did her mind turn to Damon?

Outside Elena's window, glossy black wings spread on a tree branch. The quiet cawing was faintly heard by the girl, half-asleep in her bed. But as the bird ascended into the air and dissolved into the inky black of the night, so did her thoughts of the creature disappear.

* * *

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed this story so far. I really appreciate your feedback. I know this was more of a filler chapter, but I wanted to have that last conversation with Damon and Stefan before the craziness of the next morning, so I thought I would move some things along with the girls as well. As I am hoping you could notice, things for Elena are already starting to get a little hazy. But tomorrow is a new day, and with it, come some very serious changes. For everyone involved.

Again, thank you. If you read it, please hit the little button below and let me know what you thought. As always, reviews are the love that keeps the chapters coming.


	3. A Twist In My Story

**A Twist In My Story**

_I'm finally waking up, a twist in my story  
It's time I open up, and let your love right through me_

_A Twist in My Story by Secondhand Serenade_

* * *

Damon had spent the majority of the night out of the house wandering through the woods looking for lost hikers or stray campers. The weather was cold, but there were still some hunters and other wilderness enthusiasts who were out that night. Damon had his way with most of them; draining them enough to sate his thirst but not enough to kill them. And then he wiped their memories clean. It really was a perfect arrangement in his opinion.

Stefan's holier-than-thou attitude about drinking human blood was really starting to get on Damon's nerves. It's not like his meals really missed the blood that he was taking from them. They always made more; it was just like donation. Damon smirked; even if all of his donors weren't exactly volunteers it wasn't like he had to live by their petty human rules. He was better than they were; stronger, faster, and smarter. Not to mention better looking.

He took one last mouthful of the crimson human life-force from the latest hunter that he had come across before compelling the man to forget everything. Damon dropped the heavyset huntsman back into his tent and eyed the man with tempered anger. He hated having to cover his tracks like this. Damon couldn't remember the last time he had sucked a human dry just for the fun of it and subsequently couldn't remember the last time he had really felt full. Most of the time he was just satisfying his thirst enough to keep him from wanting to kill any human he came into contact with. He grinned, making a mental note to head to the nearest big city and drain a few for Stefan. His brother would love the play by play back at the boarding house. He would be able to smell the humans on Damon, and would no doubt ask how careless he had been. And Damon would regale his brother with every single mouth-watering, gory detail. Yes, that was just what Damon needed to lift his sprits.

Damon wasn't looking forward to sticking around this small town any longer, but knowing that other vampires were coming to open the tombs, he didn't have many other options. And despite the fact that Emily had destroyed the crystal when she inhabited Bonnie, Damon had a sneaking suspicion that Bonnie would still have something to do with getting that tomb open. This unfortunately meant that he would need to be on his best behavior, at least for a little while.

In just a few seconds time, Damon was through the woods and standing at the base of the tree outside Elena's window. It was early, close to dawn, and he jumped into the low branches with ease, silently making his way up to where he could see through her second story window. He could see the nearly silent rise and fall of her chest and hear the faint thrumming of her heartbeat. A smile crossed his features at the sigh that crossed her lips in her sleep. He imagined her dreaming of him; despite knowing that he couldn't compel her to, it would be so much more satisfying when it's on Elena's own accord.

"Soon, Elena," he whispered quietly into the dusky air. And then, as quickly as he had appeared, Damon vanished into the early morning darkness, not knowing exactly how right he really was.

* * *

Bonnie pulled into the school parking lot, anxious and excited for the day. Caroline had driven herself home earlier that morning so that she could get herself ready for school and Bonnie was eager to see if the spell she had performed the night before had worked.

Spotting a blonde head of hair, she got out of the car and hurried toward where Caroline was sitting waiting for the bell to ring. Bonnie slid into the bench next to her and looked expectantly in her eyes.

"Well?" Bonnie questioned.

Caroline shrugged. "I don't feel much different I guess. But I haven't laid eyes on the men in question yet, so I don't know."

Bonnie grinned, "Well, let me know when you see them. You have to tell me how it worked. I _have_ to know."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Sisterhood of the witchy spells… I got it. I'll let you know." Caroline stood up to head to class.

"Oh wait!" Bonnie said, grabbing Caroline by the arm, stopping her from leaving. She reached into her bag and pulled out a hairbrush. "Here."

Caroline's brows pulled down into a frown. "Why are you giving me that?"

"It's your brush, it's what I-"

Caroline shook her head. "Nope. It's Elena's. She let me use it last time we all spent the night at your house. That's probably how it got there. I gotta go. I'll see you at lunch and tell you if your 'spell' worked."

Bonnie nodded, staring off after Caroline as she disappeared into the building. And then Bonnie swallowed hard. She lowered her eyes to look down at the brush in her hand. Elena's? Leave it to Bonnie to mess up the first spell she had ever tried. It wouldn't be so bad if it hadn't involved using something from the subject you're putting the spell on. But that makes it pretty binding. And if the hair she had pulled from the brush had belonged to both Caroline and Elena… then Bonnie was in way over her head.

Stowing the brush back in her bag, Bonnie hopped up from the bench and headed for her car. This was something Grams was going to have to help her sort out; she knew that she couldn't do it alone.

Bonnie hurried off toward the student parking lot, eyes staring down at the ground in front of her, trying her hardest to not draw attention to herself. As she rounded the corner to where her car was at, she bumped into someone and fell to the ground. Bonnie glanced up, seeing that Elena had fallen to the ground with her. _Shit, this was what I was trying to avoid._

"Oh, Bonnie, I'm so sorry, I don't know where my head is today." Elena stood up, holding out her hand to her friend.

Bonnie shook her head, standing up and dusting herself off. "No, my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going."

Elena linked arms with Bonnie and pulled her towards the school. "Where were you going? I have to tell you, I had the strangest dreams last night… and today I just feel all backwards. I could really use help deciphering my dreams. I thought you would be the perfect person for that."

Bonnie stopped dead in her tracks. "I… uh… I have to go see Grams. She called and needs me to come over right away."

Elena's eyebrows pulled together in concern. "Is everything alright? Did she get hurt or something?"

Bonnie hesitated. "Uh… yeah, she's alright. Just… I have to go…"

"But school! Bonnie, what's going on?!" Elena shouted after Bonnie, but her friend had already disappeared into her car and was pulling out of the parking space.

Elena let out a long sigh. This was going to be an awfully long day. And Stefan hadn't showed up at her house this morning, so she would have to be looking out for him to pop up somewhere at some point. Probably to say that he was finally leaving. Now that Logan Fell had been taken care of, there was no reason for Stefan to stay any longer. Elena felt a twinge of guilt at not feeling more upset that he was leaving, but there was some mental roadblock that seemed to be keeping her from it. She was probably just repressing her feelings because she knew that he was going to leave. At least, that's what she had been convincing herself of all morning long.

"Elena," his voice was smooth and sensual and if his startling her hadn't made her jump, it would have put goose bumps on her arms. She turned quickly to find Stefan standing behind her.

"Stefan, you _have_ to stop doing that or you're going to give me a heart attack one of these days."

His eyes were sympathetic, and his mouth drew down at the corners pulling his features into a frown. "I apologize, I should have been more cautious."

Elena's eyes softened. "I'm sorry… I'm just really edgy today."

"Did something happen?" The look of sympathy turned to concern in an instant.

Elena walked over and sat down on the picnic table on the edge of the school's campus and looked at Stefan. "No nothing really. Just didn't sleep well last night. Bad dreams."

Stefan sighed. "Were you wearing your necklace?"

Elena nodded. "Yeah, nothing Damon-inspired. I guess I've just got more of an overactive imagination than I thought."

Stefan sat down next to her on the top of the picnic table, the look on his face still obviously concerned. "Well, make sure you don't take that necklace off. The vervain is the only thing keeping Damon from compelling you to do whatever he wants, because trust me, otherwise I'm sure he would."

Elena raised a brow. "The vervain and of course you, right Stefan?"

He gave her a weak smile. And it was obviously not the answer she was looking for.

Elena bit down on her bottom lip, and then all at once the words bubbled to her lips and she couldn't stop them. Although now, she didn't know that she wanted to.

"You know, Stefan, last night I went to bed thinking about how much I couldn't live without you. It seems like every time we get close to having something really special, you decide that it's too dangerous for me. You decide that you have to leave. I thought that you cared about me; I thought that you… well it really doesn't matter."

She took a breath and stood up, not being able to face him while finishing this. "It seems like I just keep convincing myself that if I want you enough that you'll stay." She lets out a deep sigh. "I am tired of working so hard at this relationship only to have you back out on me when I feel closest to you. There is always going to be danger in my life. Whether you are here or not won't change that."

There was a long pause, but Stefan didn't say anything, so she continued. "So if you are going to go, stop toying around with my heart and just leave. Because I can't handle all of the on-again off-again drama. Not with you- not with the way I feel about you."

Elena wasn't sure she really meant that last part anymore. But nevertheless she stood her ground. He wasn't going to do this to her. If things were going to end, it was going to be her decision. She was done letting him play around with her.

She felt his cool breath on her ear as he whispered quietly. "I'm sorry." She turned around quickly, but in the split second that it took her to face him, he was gone.

* * *

Damon had himself sprawled out on the couch with a glass in his hand and a bottle of Jack Daniel's on the coffee table in front of him. He heard Stefan's approaching footsteps and wondered what his brother was doing back already. Usually Stefan spent his days at school with the ever elusive Elena.

He heard Stefan's quiet landing into his room, meaning he wasn't looking for a confrontation with Damon. Damon grinned, it was time to go find out why his little brother was skipping school. Damon dropped the TV remote and was in Stefan's doorway before he heard the quiet clanging as the device hit the glass table downstairs.

"Tisk tisk, Stefan. Shouldn't you be at school with all the other good little kids, practicing your p's and q's?" Damon's eyes perused the room as he strolled in.

"Not now Damon," Stefan sighed, pulling out a duffle bag and throwing clothes into it.

"What's this? The always-chipper Stefan with a frown on his face?" Damon said, moving to the bed and sitting down, sifting through the shirts that Stefan had just put in there and taking them out again. "You're not skipping town on me already, are you?"

"Damon, I said not NOW," he pulled Damon up off the bed and shoved him into the wall, standing with one hand on Damon's chest and the other on Damon's throat.

Damon's eyes danced with excitement and a grin spread across his face. "Trouble in paradise?" he asked, pushing Stefan off him and straightening his shirt and leather jacket.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Damon pouted. "Not even with your oldest, most trusted friend? Come on, tell me what happened. Did she get a little too feisty on you? Or is she into that 'True Love Waits' bullshit?"

Stefan put all of the clothes back into his bag and zipped it up. "She broke up with me, alright? She told me that if I was going to leave, to do it already."

Damon's jaw dropped in surprise. And then he had a nice full, hearty laugh. Stefan stared at him, face calm, mouth drawn into a straight line, eyes hard. It took a moment for Damon to compose himself.

"I'm sorry. I have to tell you, Stefan. I honestly did not see that one coming."

Stefan's eyes narrowed. "Yeah well, self pity seems a little redundant coming from the undead, but I'd like to take this time to remind you that I could really have used Lexi right about now."

Damon smirked. "You and me both. But I know how much you detest sharing women. Besides, threesomes? Not really my idea of a good time when you're involved."

"Cut it out Damon."

"Please. Come on, you're free of your boyfriend duties. You can kick back, relax, enjoy the bounty of the earth, so to speak. There are a lot of human girls out there that would do anything for sex with a vampire. Trust me, I know most of them."

Stefan let out a sigh. This really was the last thing he needed right now. What he wanted was a friend, someone, anyone to confide in. And Damon was surely not that person.

"What do you think made her change her mind anyway? Your brooding forehead get to be more melancholy than she could handle? Because seriously man, I have to tell you, _that_ is exactly why you never get laid."

Stefan glared at his brother. "I have had about enough of you. I have some loose ends to tie up here, and then I'm gone Damon. And if I were you, I'd do the same thing."

Damon leaned against the wall. "Luckily enough, you aren't me. And I am more than happy to keep it that way." He cleared his throat. "If you'll excuse me, I've got some 'loose ends' of my own." Damon grinned and jumped from the second story window. He had himself a girl to find; a girl by the name of Elena Gilbert.

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for all of the encouragement and for all of your reviews. I appreciate them all! The next chapter reveals the first interaction between Elena and Damon! I hope you are as excited as I am!! As always, reviews are love. Give some to get some ;)


	4. Broken Fate

A/N: Thanks again to everyone who has left me heartfelt reviews. It is so wonderful to know what people think! Each one of your comments makes me smile, and also makes me want to write another chapter just as quickly for everyone to enjoy. Also, if anyone would be willing to beta for me, I would love an editor. ^_^ Now, without further ado…

* * *

**Broken Fate**

_And this broken fate has claimed me  
And my memories for its own  
Your name is pounding through my veins  
Can't you hear how it is sung?_

_The Secret's in the Telling by Dashboard Confessional_

* * *

Elena walked from one class to the next with a fuzzy head and no interest in anything that they were learning in school that day. When she had told Bonnie that she felt backwards, she had certainly meant it. Everything felt off and weird and none of the thoughts in her head were right. They were mean and spiteful and directed toward Stefan. But then again, he had just walked away from her. Scratch that, he had just refused to stand up for her, and then vanished without so much as an "I'll miss you." And to think that for the longest time she really thought Stefan might have been in love with her. Apparently that had just all been in her mind, because Stefan certainly hadn't put up a fight with her when she told him to stop toying around. Maybe he realized that it was for the best? Because, as much as she had wanted a life and a future with him, at every bend in the road he made it abundantly clear that whatever future she had planned, he couldn't be a part of it. It made her wonder why he came back to Mystic Falls at all, knowing he would never be able to stay.

Elena shook the thoughts from her head. Whatever was going on in her mind, she needed a respite from it.

* * *

Bonnie knocked vigorously on Gram's door. She was really nervous and needed advice about how to reverse the spell she had put on Caroline and Elena. She hadn't meant for it to affect both of them, but since she had mistakenly used a brush of Elena's which happened to have Caroline's hair in it, she had quite a mess to clean up. Gram's answered the door and gave Bonnie a sympathetic look.

"My dear Bonnie, come in. I will fix you a cup of tea while you tell me all about it."

Bonnie threw her arms around her grandmother and hugged her tightly. "Thanks Grams. I really need some help."

"I should say so." Grams said with a knowing expression, closing the door behind them once they were both inside the house.

Bonnie plopped down into one of the kitchen chairs, letting out a deep sigh. "I didn't mean for this to happen, ya know? I was just trying to help a friend. Caroline has been really different lately and I thought I could help her."

Her grandmother put water in the tea kettle and then sat down at the table, taking Bonnie's hands into her own. She looked at Bonnie cautiously, knowing that what she was about to say might not go over well with her granddaughter.

"You used personal items from both girls?"

Bonnie had given up trying to understand how her grandmother knew things that she had not revealed to a soul and simply nodded. "I read that spells are more effective when you use something with the person's DNA like a toothbrush or hair from a hairbrush. So I grabbed a hairbrush that I thought was Caroline's and it turns out it was actually Elena's. Caroline had used it though, so it ended up affecting them both." Bonnie let out another sigh.

Grams stood up, her face weary as she took the whistling tea kettle off of the burner and poured water into two mugs before dropping a tea bag into each of them. When she turned to face Bonnie again, her mouth curled into a compassionate smile.

"Bonnie, you must remember that magic is not a toy. Our family's heritage is deeply rooted in the earliest and one of the most powerful line of witches in the world. While I understand your desire to help a friend who was in pain, there comes a time in every witch's life when she learns the value of a spell gone wrong. I am hoping that this is that time for you darling."

Grams sat down, handing Bonnie a cup of tea and looked her granddaughter squarely in the eye. "I know that you came to me looking for an answer, and I am sure you aren't going to like what I have to tell you."

Bonnie's face fell. "Am I banned from being a witch?"

Grams let out a quiet, simple laugh. "Hardly, my dear. On the contrary, I am glad that you are practicing your magic. But unfortunately, there is nothing I can do to reverse the spell you have put on your friends. You are going to have to let the magic run its course."

Bonnie was surprised. Her mouth gaped open at the reply. "How long will it last?"

Grams shrugged. "How long did you write the spell to last?"

Bonnie sunk down into her chair, covering her face with her hands. "I didn't specify."

Grams shook her head. "My dear Bonnie, I certainly hope that you have learned your lesson after this. There is no telling how long it will take for the magic to run its course. Your friends will be filled with its essence until they have learned their lessons from it."

"But Elena… it will suppress her feelings for Stef-"

"The vampire?" Grams asked, cocking her head to one side. "I do hope that you see the logic behind what you did, Bonnie. Perhaps it is for the best. It is… Elena… that does not know about the spell, is it not?"

Bonnie nodded.

"This spell of yours," she paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "Perhaps it has been fated to spare your friend's life."

Bonnie shook her head. "No Grams, you don't understand. Stefan- he's not the bad one."

Grams gave her granddaughter a knowing smile. "I know more about the Salvatore's than you might think, Bonnie Bennett."

* * *

Caroline sat with Elena at lunch, chatting casually about how she was planning on going to the local college over the weekend to enjoy some parties.

"Ya know, I realized that college men are just so much easier to get along with than high school boys. High school boys are just all about playing games and getting laid. College guys are far more laid back."

Elena nodded her head. "Yeah."

Caroline's brows went up expectantly. "So, do you want to come with me? I mean, since you and Stefan are back on your respective markets?"

Elena raised her gaze lethargically to look Caroline in the eye. "I'm gunna have to go with no on that one."

"Come on Elena, it'll be fun. Girl's night out. You, me and Bonnie; we can go out meeting new, exciting guys."

Elena let out a sigh. She had way too much going on in her head for this right now. "I don't know, Caroline. Can I give you an answer later?"

"Yeah, I guess. Just let me know." Caroline spotted Matt coming toward her and grabbed her bag and stood up from the table. "I have to run. I just remembered I told Miss Lake that I would help her during lunch."

Elena gave her friend a weak smile, feeling a little guilty for not adding more to the conversation. Caroline glanced back and scoffed as she dumped her tray of food, seeing Matt still coming after her. She stalked down the hallway.

"Hey Caroline! Wait up!" Matt called as he jogged down the hallway after the blonde.

Caroline turned around and stopped in the middle of the corridor. She didn't say anything, but she stood there, waiting expectantly to hear what he had to say.

"What's up with you today? You seem different."

"That's because I am different. I have decided I don't want to deal with your 'I just wanna get some' football jock crap anymore."

Matt's face went through a wide range of emotions, stopping somewhere between anger and disappointment. "Caroline, what are you talking about?"

Hands went to her hips as she took a defensive stance. "I just don't feel like going through all this high school drama anymore, Matt. Not with you, not with anyone."

A hurt look crossed Matt's face which he quickly covered with a more appropriate ticked off look. "Okay, I don't know who or what has gotten into your blonde little head. But remember how we talked about lame girl moves? Well, you're pulling one right now." He shook his head and took a step forward. "I thought we were friends. I thought we were having fun hanging out. If you really think I'm like Tyler and Jacob and all those other guys who just want to get in your pants, then I'm glad that you're trying to blow me off, because I don't want to hang out with you anymore anyway. I thought that after this much time you would have realized I am not like them, Caroline. But apparently nothing has changed with you. You're still the self-centered cheerleader you always were."

Caroline's jaw dropped as she watched Matt turn around and walk away.

"Matt-" she said, trying to call after him. But he didn't look back; he just disappeared around a corner, leaving Caroline there alone with her own thoughts.

* * *

Stefan put the key into the ignition of the '05 BMW 330xi he had just purchased and turned the car on, letting it idle as he pulled the sales stickers off of it. He didn't really have much of a plan yet as far as where he would go, but he was hoping that once he had checked out Logan Fell's body for clues he would have a better idea. Stefan was determined to protect Elena, even if she had finally thrown in the towel on their relationship. And if Damon was right about other vampires in the area coming for Elena, then he would have to track them down before they came to Mystic Falls.

He couldn't really say that he was surprised that Elena had finally had enough of him; to be honest, he was beginning to think that his actions were pretty deplorable. As much as he hated to admit it, since his plans were never to change Elena into one of them so that he could be with her forever, there was little reason for him to have interfered in her life the way he had. He had just been so compelled to meet her, to know her. There was something about Elena, something more than her resemblance to Katherine that had required him to know her. But if he had known what would have happened, what Damon was going to do, he would have never put her in the middle of this mess.

Stefan pushed the gear shift into Drive and sped off the lot toward the Mystic Falls town morgue.

* * *

After school had ended, and with no sign of Bonnie all day she might add, Elena decided that the best way to find that reprieve would be to go somewhere that no one would expect her to be. Leaving her car at the school, Elena chose to walk the eighteen blocks to the opposite side of town, where there was a small, seedy restaurant that was usually inhabited only by the local drunks. Sticking her earbuds in and turning her iPod on, Elena settled down into a seat in the back. A hard rock base thumped loudly in her ears drowning out her own thoughts for the time being. Because god only knew her thoughts were of the strangest variety today. Things that her imagination previously came up with as punishments for Damon's horrible behavior were now playing over in her mind, only with Stefan as the key player. Brutal, awful things; bear attacks, Lexi coming back from the grave to haunt him, some vampire making him their bitch, instead of the other way around. Elena had to admit, before when she had thought of those things concerning Damon they had given her some relief and had even made her smile on occasion. Now she couldn't stand the thought of putting Damon in any of those situations. Thus, the need for a break from her thoughts. Because of all of the things that she should be thinking about Damon, his arms around her in a tight embrace was not one of them.

And for some ungodly reason, that was exactly what she was thinking as a smell similar to his cologne wafted through the bar. Elena closed her eyes, turning the volume up louder on Muse's "Time is Running Out" as it filtered through her headphones. It wasn't drowning out her thoughts as she hoped it would. In fact, the lyrics seemed to fuel her flame for Damon and her mind kept running over the words in her head. "You're something beautiful, a contradiction, I wanna play the game, I want the friction, you will be the death of me".

There was something to be said for poetic irony. Because with the line of thoughts running through her mind today, it was a sure thing that Damon would, in fact, be the death of her. Probably sooner rather than later too. By the time the song reached the bridge, and the words 'you will suck the life out of me' came across in Matthew Bellamy's sultry voice, Elena ripped the headphones from her ears and slammed them down on the table.

"Seriously?!" She scoffed to herself under her breath in the dimly lit room. It was like the song was egging her on, pushing her to go after him. No, she was reasonable, she was far more sensible than that. And she knew better.

"Rough day at Mystic Falls High?" a voice came from the darkness, so close that the cool breath gave her a tingling sensation from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes. And all of her reasonable, sensible thoughts flew right out the window. But Elena was always one to put up a good fight. And despite the fact that she didn't want to, she was more than able to continue her attitude towards Damon.

"That is none of your business."

He cocked a brow. "Now now, none of that _cattiness_ unless you're going to let me make you purr like a kitten later. I only meant that I didn't expect to find you here drinking."

She raised her glass and took a sip. "It's Diet Coke."

Damon smirked. "You came to… this place…" he gestured around the room, "to drink a Diet Coke and what? Do your homework? Come on, Elena. What's going on?"

"Like you care," she practically spat back. It was an easy rhythm that they settled into whenever he tried to talk to her. She found it increasingly hard to believe anything that came from his perfect pouty lips. Her thoughts began getting murky again and she stared down at the table to try and clear them up.

_He's the bad guy, Elena. Damon killed Lexi, he hurt Caroline and nearly killed your best friend. Don't let him get into your head. _Her thoughts carried along like that as he spoke, trying mercilessly to convince herself of what she was repeating over and over in her head.

"I plead the fifth. But seeing as how I'm the only person here worth talking to, you might as well."

"I don't really want to talk about it." A strategically placed frown that would have made any man's heart melt crossed her features. Lucky for Damon, his heart was frozen solid behind a steel door. And so he persisted.

"Now, that is _exactly_ what Stefan said."

Elena snorted. "I should have known he'd go crying and brooding to you." And then her hands flew to her mouth, unable to believe that she had just said that.

Damon's grin grew. "There's the spunky girl I met a few months ago. Stefan's been watering you down."

"You don't know anything about Stefan and myself."

Damon chuckled. "You'd be surprised, kitten," he said, adding the last word with special emphasis.

Elena's eyes burned into the table. "Whatever that is supposed to mean, stop it. I am not doing this with you."

"Ah, you'd rather do something else with me then?"

"Quit it Damon. I don't care what Stefan told you. None of it matters anymore." And this time, her frown was sincere.

"Come on Elena, you and I both know that my brother is not the reason that you are sitting here right now." His voice came out in a low, sexy whisper and she had to grip the table to keep herself from doing anything rash. Like jumping him right then and there.

This was certainly not what she had been expecting to hear or subsequently feel. It was almost as if the necklace wasn't working and he was getting exactly what he had always talked about wanting from her. But nonetheless, his words had certainly made her think. If she had come here on her own accord, looking for a respite from her thoughts, why shouldn't she give in? Elena looked into his eyes for the first time since he had claimed the chair next to hers. It took her a moment to regain herself enough to answer. "Do something for me?"

Damon's features faltered for the briefest second. "What did you have in mind?"

Her hand fell gently to rest on his arm on the table and her eyes smoldered as she held his gaze. "Compel me."

* * *

A/N: I hope everyone likes the slightly darker version of Elena that has emerged because of Bonnie's spell. I do hope that Elena is up to everyone's standards. I'm not planning on making her like Clark Kent on red kryptonite or anything, but she is a little different. As usual, reviews are love. Thanks for stopping by and reading!


	5. Undisclosed Desires

A/N: Again, thanks so much to everyone who left me reviews. I less than three you all! Sorry it has taken me a few extra days to get this chapter posted, I was visiting a friend this weekend and spent most of my time goofing off instead of writing. Forgive me? I knew you would. Here we go!!! :-)

* * *

**Undisclosed Desires**

_I want to reconcile the violence in your heart  
I want to recognize your beauty is not just a mask  
I want to exorcise the demons from your past  
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart_

_Undisclosed Desires by Muse_

* * *

Bonnie sat on the couch at her grandmother's house and buried her head in her hands, not wanting to think about the mess that she had gotten herself into. Scratch that, the mess that she had gotten her friends into. She decided not to return to school and instead helped Grams make cookies and muffins before cleaning up the kitchen and living room. The chores allowed her mind to be relieved from the worry that she felt for her friends, if only for a few moments. Bonnie knew that Caroline would be fine, but she was worried about Elena. After finding out the truth about Stefan and Damon, Bonnie had been paying close attention to Stefan whenever he and Elena were together. And there was no denying how amazing they were together. But this spell, it would stifle out her feelings for him, and would leave her apathetic and indignant. And that just wasn't Elena.

Gram's words were still clawing at the back of her mind. She knew more about the Salvatore's than Bonnie would think, and that maybe it was for Elena's benefit that the spell was put on her. In a world where Elena had lost so much over the last year, she didn't feel right taking this last bit of happiness from her best friend. It didn't seem right.

"Grams?" Bonnie called, getting up from the couch. "Are you sure there is no possible way to take the spell off of Elena? She is really, truly happy with Stefan. It feels cruel to rob her of that."

Grams shook her head. "I am sorry child, Providence knows best."

Bonnie could feel herself getting heated. She had heard that one time too many today and she just couldn't deal with it anymore. "It wasn't providence! It was a silly, stupid mistake made by a silly, stupid witch!"

Grams cupped her hands around Bonnie's face. "You stop that tantrum right now young lady. I will not have you talking like that. Not about you, and not about fate. Do you hear me?"

Bonnie sunk down with apologetic eyes and nodded. "Yes ma'am."

Grams held Bonnie's gaze. "That's better. Now go get that book in the living room, you still have much to learn."

* * *

"At the risk of sounding, well, nothing at all like myself, may I ask why? I mean, you and Stefan…"

Elena looked at Damon, drumming her fingers on the table in the dank restaurant. Now that she had actually gone as far as to ask him to compel her, she was regretting it. It was stupid to ask anything of Damon and she knew it. Not only was it stupid, he could take advantage of her in so many ways. But then again, wasn't that part of the thrill of it? She could feel the fire starting to build inside her; the anger, the worry, the excitement. And now was he really taking this time to talk about Stefan?

She could see the brief glimmer of confusion and doubt in his eyes but before she could reply, that hint disappeared and was replaced by the cool, collected and always calculated Damon that she had come to know far too well.

"Was it the brooding forehead? I told him he probably just got to be far too melancholy for you. High school chicks aren't into that."

_Chicks?_ She decided to let that one slide; for now. "And if I told you that was it? That all of the brooding and the careful, deliberate ways were just far too 'Edward Cullen' for me, then would you do it?"

"Oh god, not you too. Caroline actually _likes _that book. Did you know she asked me why I didn't sparkle?"

Elena's eyes narrowed. "Say it isn't so." she mocked. "Damon Salvatore, dodging a question like 'will you compel me?'" She laughed out loud and then quickly sobered. "Did I finally do something unexpected Damon? Something you don't understand?"

He shrugged. "There is very little about the human female adolescent mind that I actually understand, Elena. I can predict your species down to a tee, but understand their motivations? Hardly."

She wasn't expecting his abrupt change of mood when he spoke next, and the way he looked into her eyes made her almost feel uncomfortable. "But you," he paused to tick up one eyebrow. "_You_ seem to baffle me more than most. And while I do have to admit that I hadn't expected you dumping the bleeding-heart that is my brother, I was intrigued by it."

Elena made a face something akin to eating a whole lemon.

"Although, something tells me that Stefan actually put you up to this to start a fight with me… to see how far I would go. And I have to warn you, if he lays another finger on me, I'm going to turn him into garden fertilizer."

Elena pushed her iPod into her bag and stood up, leaning over the table as she spoke to him. "Stefan did not, in fact, he certainly would not _ever_ ask me to do that."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Stefan doesn't have the gonads to put you in harm's way. I still have a hard time believing he was with you all this time without the slightest temptation to taste…"

Elena gulped; her face turned crimson but her eyes became hard and unreadable. She stood up, straightened her clothes and took three steps from the table.

Damon reached out and put his hand on her arm, keeping her from leaving. And then he pouted. "Leaving so soon, kitten?"

"Would you stop calling me that?"

"Only if you tell me why you asked me to use my... influence... on you." His eyes were dark and guarded, but Elena could tell he was thoroughly enjoying this. There was still that mischievous twinkle in them.

Elena let out a sigh and sat back down in the chair. "Because maybe, for once I want to do something stupid and reckless; something bad for me, something fun. I don't know the last time I actually did something without thinking about the consequences. It's exhausting. Besides, to be honest with you, I have kind of always wanted to know what it was like."

Half of Damon's mouth curled up into his signature smirk. "Are you saying that I am stupid and bad for you?"

"Are you saying that you'll do it?"

Damon took a moment to reply, not sure he wanted to agree. After all, hadn't he wanted to do this the old fashioned way? Hadn't he wanted to get Elena to admit feelings for him without using his Powers? Or at the very least get her into bed on her own free will, just to say that he had? That was something that his brother obviously had failed to do, considering Stefan seemed to still have a stick up his ass. His decision came swiftly and his green eyes searched hers so deeply that she wondered if he could see her soul. The gaze stunned her, pulling goose bumps up on her arms.

"Take your necklace off," Damon commanded.

* * *

Caroline spent all of cheerleading practice stealing glances at Matt. Despite feeling like the spell had worked earlier that morning, Caroline couldn't get the football captain out of her head anymore. Now, as she laid on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, she was beginning to wonder if Bonnie's spell had actually backfired and made her feelings for Matt worse. She had been fine all morning. She hadn't thought about him at all until lunch. When he yelled at her.

No one ever yelled at Caroline Forbes. Most people were too busy looking for her approval or trying to get in her pants to really care about her one way or the other. Was it possible that Matt actually did?

It began as twinges of regret for being so cruel to him. But slowly as the day progressed it had gnawed its way to the surface of her mind over and over again. The look of disappointment on his face; like he should have been expecting her to act this way all along. That's what really got to her.

Caroline pulled out her phone and dialed Bonnie. She needed answers.

After the fourth ring when Bonnie hadn't answered, Caroline hung up and flopped back down on her bed and resisted screaming into her pillow, although she really wanted to. And then it hit her.

She grinned and dialed a new number. Two, three, four rings. No answer. This time, Caroline opted to leave a message.

"Damon, listen, it's me Caroline. I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but I need you to call me when you get a chance. I need to talk to you so that I can… find out how I feel about you. It sounds stupid, but trust me, you wouldn't understand. Anyway, call me." She snapped her phone shut and hopped up off her bed. Putting on her cutest outfit and fixing her make-up, Caroline had made up her mind. She was going to go to the Mystic Grill and find Matt. All of this waiting around was driving her crazy. And Caroline was never one to wait for a man.

* * *

Stefan had never been much of a tracker. He didn't really care for the chase or the hunt the way Damon did. For Stefan, feeding was about keeping the humans in his life safe and his thirst sated. For Stefan, feeding was not about the immense power that came with it. Not anymore.

Feeding on animals though had some advantages when it came to tracking. Vampires tended to follow the old adage 'you are what you eat' to a certain extent. While feeding on humans made Damon powerful because of the strength and influence that people had over the Earth, feeding on animals gave Stefan similar animalistic qualities. For instance, his sense of smell was far more developed than his brother's, as well as his ability to see at night. Stefan could see just as clearly in a pitch black forest as if it were noon on the sunniest day of the year. Of course, Damon knew nothing of these qualities; and even if he did learn about them, Stefan was sure it would never be enough to convince his brother to resist human blood.

Stefan had successfully used his weakened powers of compulsion to get into the morgue. He quickly found where they were keeping Logan Fell's body and searched it for any clues that would lead him to the vampire or vampires that had changed him. Stefan picked up a faint distant scent. Something that did not belong, but was oddly familiar. And for some reason, even though he knew that he had smelled it before, he couldn't place it.

Stefan broke the wooden stake in half where it stuck out of Logan's body and lifted it for further inspection. The scent was strongest on the stake and he knew that he could use it to find whoever it was that had killed Logan.

With more questions than answers, Stefan stepped back out into the daylight, pulling his sunglasses down over his eyes. First, who had turned Logan Fell? Second, who had killed Logan Fell? And most importantly right now, why had Damon lied about finishing Fell off himself?

Stefan pulled out his phone and hit the first speed dial. He was positive that Damon wouldn't answer; his brother barely ever answered his phone, but it didn't keep him from calling.

"I know the truth about Fell," he said into the phone after the beep. "I'm not leaving Mystic Falls until you tell me what you know and why you're covering it up." Stefan shoved his phone back into his pocket and took off into the woods. He needed to find the source of the scent on the stake.

* * *

Elena sat on the edge of her bed nervously. It had been two hours since she had left Damon at the restaurant and headed home like he had told her to.

"Go home, Elena," he had said after she had removed her necklace. She could hear the words vividly still in her mind. "Take a shower, put on something sexy for me, open your window and then wait for me."

She had eagerly agreed, now that the necklace was tucked away in her pocket. But now, the nervousness was returning. Elena counted her breaths as she waited; she didn't know what would happen once Damon finally showed up.

He gracefully leapt through her window and stood leaning against the wall, opposite where she was sitting on the bed. His eyes roamed her body as her face flushed and he nodded in approval.

"Mmmm, Elena, you certainly do take sexy to a whole new level," Damon whispered in her ear, moving behind her in one lightning fast motion. He was taking in the black satin and lace top and short skirt. "But somehow still tasteful…"

Elena turned around to face him, feeling the butterflies in her stomach as their wings beat vigorously. Her face turned crimson as Damon obviously looked her up and down again.

"I want you to do something else for me, Elena," Damon said, his voice low and smooth.

"Anything," she answered automatically, looking after him like a lost puppy. It was clear that his compulsion was still in full effect from her lack of arguing or struggling, not to mention what she was wearing.

Damon pushed her back on the bed so that she was laying, staring up at him as he hovered over her; and then he was on her, body crushing against her fire-hot skin. His hands were tangled in her hair and his fierce eyes searched her doe-like features for any trace of hesitation, despite the fact that he knew there would be none. He brought his face so close to hers that their lips almost, but not quite touched. And then he sighed.

"I think I am going to regret this… but I want you to put your necklace back on." Damon searched her face again, and then slowly resigned his place on top of her by rolling over onto his back, one arm tucked under his head.

* * *

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed it! Please be sure to tell me what you think! Coming up in chapter 6- Caroline confronts Matt. Stefan finds out who killed Logan Fell, and why. And lots more Damon/Elena goodness (the way it should be, with her necklace securely in place and lots of banter that seems to come with Damon and Elena. As always, reviews are food for my soul!


	6. Falling Away

A/N: Thank you all for your lovely words and all of your favorite story/favorite author additions. You're all wonderful and amazing and I love you all! Again, I am still desperately looking for a beta, so if anyone is up for the task… please send me a message or let me know in a review. Alright, that's all the housekeeping I've got… on with the show!

* * *

**Falling Away**

_I can feel my world crumbling, I can feel my life crumbling  
I can feel my soul crumbling away, and falling away.  
Falling away with you_

_Falling Away with You by Muse_

* * *

Stefan raced through the forest as the sun was setting below the horizon. Despite having the majority of his thoughts focused on following the scent of the person who had killed Logan Fell, Stefan could not keep his mind from Elena. He wondered how they had gotten to the place where she could give up on him. He knew that things would never be easy and that part of him would always vie for dominance; the part that wanted to drain her of her blood and drink her dry. But Stefan knew that he could handle that urge. He had lived among humans for almost one hundred and fifty years now and seventy five of those years had been spent feeding solely on animals. If any one single vampire could be close to a human and resist the temptation to feed, it was him.

But nonetheless, Stefan understood why Elena had told him to leave. After all, he had been saying himself that he would be leaving for weeks. He was only delaying the inevitable because there was a part of him that _needed _to be with her. She made him feel things that he had never felt before; love, compassion, desire, yearning, and a passion deeper than he had ever experienced before- even with Katherine. She made him feel, if he could dare say it, human.

So why couldn't he be with Elena? What was he trying to do by staying away from her? He was only denying himself the happiness he had been searching for his entire existence. Would it really be so terrible to stay in Elena's life? To ask her if she would consider being with him forever? Stefan shook his head. No. He would not take a human life, even if it was to turn someone. It was not fair to Elena, to Jeremy or Jenna. He could never condemn her to the same fate of eternal uncertainty that he had been cursed with. He would never steal her away from Bonnie and Caroline and Matt. He loved Elena enough to let her live her life as a human; he loved her enough to let her go.

Stefan's paced slowed to a brisk human jog as he reached the edge of the forest. The scent was strongest here and he could feel the Power radiating from the house across the street. Cautiously, Stefan crossed the street and made his way up to the porch. Raising his hand up to knock on the door, he was surprised when the door opened before he had a chance to connect his fist with the wooden entrance.

"Stefan?" The man questioned, giving him a curious look.

"Mr. Saltzman, hey." Stefan forced himself to recover quickly. "I, uh, had a question about the essay that you assigned yesterday. I wasn't in class and I got the information from Matt and I just…"

Alaric Saltzman nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Sure, come on in and show me what you've got."

Stefan swallowed hard, walking empty handed into the house of the man that killed Logan Fell with a wooden stake.

* * *

It took Elena a long moment to gain enough clarity to put all of the words Damon had just spoken back in the correct order. He had just been on top of her, close enough to kiss, close enough for her to feel every defined taught muscle under his shirt pressed against her chest and stomach. His hands had been in her hair, tangling, pulling, desiring. His lips hadn't even touched hers yet, but she felt high and drunk all at the same time, and it was longer than she had expected before she could think clearly again. _I want you to put your necklace back on_.

Elena got up from the bed and retrieved the locket from her dresser, slipping it over her head. Her mind, which had just been clouded and hazy all at once cleared and everything fell back into reality. She glanced at Damon, who was still resting comfortably on her bed and frowned.

"You told me to put the necklace back on."

A single brow raised. "Did I?"

"Damon, you compelled me to put the vervain necklace back on."

"Huh…"

"Why would you do that?" She questioned eagerly. "I mean…"

He let out a sigh. "You're not very fun when you're compliant to my every wish. I enjoy your company much more when you're spirited." Damon shot her a sly smile. "I save the submissive, easy girls for the ones I just want to drink dry."

Elena raised a brow, indignant. "Fine then, what do you want from me?" She glanced down at her outfit, realizing for the first time what she had put on in her compelled state. And then Elena grimaced.

Damon sat up and patted the bed beside him. "Company. Nice choice in the outfit by the way. Very… 'my first time'."

Elena scoffed darkly. "You should be so lucky." _ I should be so lucky, _she mentally corrected. And then silently chided herself for it. "Seriously Damon? Am I really just a conquest for you?"

He smirked and rested his elbows on his knees and put his chin in his hands. "Absolutely. Because how much fun would it be to not only get my brother's girlfriend in bed, but also do it on her own accord?"

Elena's jaw set. "Get out." Why did his words make her hot and bothered? Why did she have the urge to taste his lips, to touch his skin, to feel his cool, toned body against her warm flesh again? And why was her face turning a deep crimson right now from all of these thoughts that shouldn't be entering her mind?

"Now now, kitten, what did we say about that attitude?"

"I'm serious Damon. I'm done playing games with you. I can't trust you or your motivations."

He pouted. "But that's one of my most charming attributes."

Elena went to the window and held back the curtain, her final invitation for him to leave. So why were her thoughts screaming for him to stay? Begging for him to touch her? Pleading for his lips on hers? She could feel the deep burning inside her and her thoughts swarming around her head like a hive full of bees and she knew that it would be impossible to quiet them now.

"Not to mention one of the things that you love most about me," he added knowingly, whispering in her ear. It never failed to surprise her when he crossed the room in the blink of an eye. She could feel the heat radiating from her own body and the cool contrast of his, so close now that she was practically pressed up against him. Her hands, which had been crossed in front of her, now reached for the hem of his shirt. Downcast eyes slowly lifted to meet his penetrating gaze.

Her heart beat picked up steadily and she was sure that he could hear it; positive that he was quite aware of what he was doing to her. But he didn't betray her secret. He only searched her eyes for something that he couldn't seem to find. Eyes that could see into her very soul searched hers so deeply and intently that she felt as if she were standing in front of him bare and allowing him to see every unrevealed confidence that her body and mind held. He was captivated by something in her, something she could have never known.

They stood this way for a long moment and as Elena gazed back into the green orbs before her, she could find no hint of malice intent or harm. She took notice of something that his eyes had never betrayed before. Those beautiful green eyes weren't as guarded and obviously cynical as they usually were.

"Damon, I-" She began, breaking the long silence that had endured between them. But before she could continue his finger was at her lips, silencing her. Thoughts ran rampant through her head. _Damon, I can't do this. Damon, I don't want to hurt Stefan. Damon, I don't know what I'm feeling anymore. Damon, I want you to stay. Damon, I can't get you out of my mind. Damon, I need you._ But one thought was constant. _Damon, Damon, Damon._

Her eyes closed as she waited. Waited for him to speak or kiss her or bite her. Regardless of what she thought she was waiting for, the moment seemed longer than it should have been and his eyes were dark and guarded again when she looked back up at him. Whatever vulnerability she thought she had seen there was gone now. Elena remained quiet and her eyes trained on a spot on his black t-shirt. His hands moved to the sides of her face as he tilted her head up. Elena closed her eyes again, expectantly. Butterflies beat wildly in her stomach and her heart raced. Cool lips pressed evenly against her forehead for a long moment. Elena opened her eyes to find his again, to query the meaning of this, but when her eyes opened he was gone.

The brief, romantic gesture had been so curious to her, that Elena stared after him into the inky darkness with a newfound sense of amazement about him. A cool breeze blew through her window and it made her shiver, and wrap her arms around herself, but she didn't move. What had that kiss signified? Was there really more to Damon than Stefan had always imagined? More to him than the soulless killer that his younger brother had always painted him to be? Elena couldn't be sure, but there had been that one brief glimmer of something before, when his eyes had burned into hers. Maybe, there was hope for him after all.

"You'll be back," she whispered with a dark smirk of her own. If there was one thing Elena knew about Damon, it was that he was never one to let things go unfinished. Elena turned from the window, making sure to leave it open. And then she went to her dresser, pulled out the red lace teddy from the top drawer and went to the bathroom to change. She grinned as she took in her own appearance in the gilded mirror in front of her. When Damon did come back, she wanted to be ready for him.

* * *

Bonnie had left Gram's house that evening feeling a little more hopeful about the fate of her friends. Despite having decided to not tell Elena about the spell, not yet anyways, there was a bright feeling of hope blooming deep inside Bonnie which gave her a spring in her step as she entered the Mystic Grill. She was sure that she would find Elena and Caroline here, and that if need be, she would confront them both and let them know what had happened.

Bonnie spotted Caroline first, sitting on one of the pool tables where Tyler and Matt were trying to have a game of billiards. Bonnie shook her head and walked over to her blonde friend who appeared to have a drink in her hand. Bonnie raised a brow, _this can NOT end well._

"Care?" The darker-complected girl asked, holding out her hand. "Come 'ere. I wanna talk to you."

Caroline's brow furrowed. "No. I'm watching the game."

"You're hindering the game," Tyler practically spat back.

Caroline's eyes narrowed and she turned sluggishly to look at him. "Shut up." She turned back to Bonnie, eyes mournful. "I'm here to talk to Matt." Her words were starting to slur and Bonnie slid her friend off her perch on the pool table.

"Uh huh…" Bonnie agreed, shaking her head. "But first let's get you some coffee, so you can actually talk when you're ready to."

Caroline allowed herself to be dragged away from the tables and toward a booth, where she sat down with a _plop_ and pointed back at the football captain. "He won't talk to me."

Bonnie raised a brow. "Caroline, I thought you didn't want anything to do with him. Remember last night? The spell?"

Caroline slowly turned her head and attention to her friend and gave Bonnie an indignant look. "Of course I remember. That's why I'm here. I don't think your stupid spell worked. I keep thinking about him and it won't stop."

Bonnie's brow furrowed. The spell had worked, hadn't it? Did she possibly have nothing to fear at all?

"Damon I don't care about at all. The silly spell worked on me for _him_. But Matt… he _yelled_ at me." She went on, paying special attention to the word 'yell'.

"I… I don't understand." If the spell was going to work, it should have applied to both of them. There was something itching at the back of her mind. Something that she couldn't place quite yet. Something that she knew would lead her to the answer.

Caroline raised her glass, which appeared to have whiskey in it, from the smell alone. "That makes two of us, Bonna-roo" she said, giggling.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. Taking care of a tipsy friend was not exactly how she planned on spending her night. "I need to talk to Matt," she said, more to herself than to Caroline.

Caroline stood up and held out her hand. "That makes two of us," she replied, grinning from ear to ear before taking another sip of her drink. "Yummy," she added.

Bonnie grabbed the drink from Caroline's hand and set it down on the table. "Fine, you can come with me. But you have to let me do the talking."

Caroline nodded silently, bringing her fingers to her mouth and 'zipping' her lips shut, before applying the invisible lock and throwing the key away.

"Mmhmm" Bonnie chided, grabbing Caroline by the hand and pulling her along. She pushed Caroline down onto a chair in the corner and walked the few steps to where Matt was standing.

"Not now," he said, brushing her off.

"Matt, I'm not here to intercede on Caroline's behalf."

He turned to look at her, his eyes reading surprise and nonchalance. He turned back to the table and took his shot, sinking the 5 ball with one quick movement of his right arm.

"I'm listening," he said, spinning around while Tyler took his turn.

"Well…I… I kind of need to know what you said to Caroline today. I can't really explain, but it's important."

Matt let out a sound halfway between a sigh and a scoff and crossed his arms over his chest. "You have got to be kidding me."

Caroline poked her head around Bonnie's shoulder. "She needs to figure out what went wrong with the spe-". Bonnie's hands flew to Caroline's mouth and she glared at the tipsy blonde.

Caroline gave Bonnie an 'oops' look and backed herself into the corner again, hands covering her mouth.

"Please Matt." Bonnie said quietly. She had to figure out how this was all falling apart.

He looked at her sympathetically; he knew what it was like taking care of a drunken Caroline. In fact, he had actually enjoyed being around her last time she was this way. "It doesn't matter," he huffed. "I should have known she would end up being this way. She never did give a damn about anything but herself and how everyone found her too irresistible to keep their hands off her."

Matt looked at Caroline, whose eyes were wide with shock and horror at what he had just repeated again, for the second time today.

Bonnie glanced back at Caroline and then at Matt. "I am assuming that's about the gist of what you said this afternoon?"

Matt shrugged, turning back to the billiards table and taking his next shot, sinking another ball.

"I told you that stupid spell was never going to work," Caroline hissed quietly to her friend. Bonnie glared at her again and put her finger to her lips, begging for Caroline's silence.

"Is that all?" Matt asked, turning to face the girls again.

Bonnie shrunk down a little. "I guess."

Matt nodded toward where Caroline had been sitting. Bonnie looked back to see that the blonde had disappeared. "Might wanna get her home… soon." Matt suggested.

Bonnie took off, trying to find where Caroline had mysteriously vanished to.

* * *

Elena slid between her cool sheets and placed her journal on the nightstand beside her. She had just poured her heart and soul out into an entry, not knowing how much she should really say about Damon, but wanting to remember the evening that she had with him. The feel of his body pressed against hers, the cool pressure of his lips on her forehead, the way he had made her put the necklace back on. Elena had thought long and hard about that last action, and finally her mind settled on the notion that he was being honest about wanting to wait until it was of her own accord that they do anything physical. Maybe his reasons had actually been somewhat… gentlemanly? It wasn't like she really thought he was horrible enough to force himself on her if she had decided to refuse him. But perhaps it was more about her? Did he perhaps want her to enjoy it, to desire him, to not regret it afterwards?

Her thoughts ran together in overdrive and she ran her fingers through her hair before laying back on her pillow and switching the light off. As soon as the room fell into darkness, she had the sneaking suspicion that she wasn't alone. She could feel the eyes on her from the shadows, which made her excited and anxious all at the same time.

"I knew you couldn't stay away," she said, grinning as she flicked the small light back on, her eyes quickly scanning the room for him. When she focused on the intruder, a brief gasp escaped her lips.

"Stefan?"

* * *

A/N: I know, I know. I'm awful. Another cliffhanger. I hope that means that you'll all come back and read the next chapter. And, as usual, I NEED to hear what you have to say. So if you read it, lemme know! Pretty please? I'll consider adding lots of smut in the next chapter if you review. Thanks a million.


	7. Defend

A/N: I've been so terrible about updating lately. I do hope you will all forgive me. I promise I won't make you wait as long for the next one. Thank you to EVERYONE for the awesome, amazing, unbelievable reviews/alerts/favorites. It is so appreciated.

* * *

**Defend**

_She sinks in my mind as she sheds through her skin  
touch sight tastes like fire  
hands do now what eyes no longer defend  
hands to fuel desire_

_Dance Inside by All American Rejects_

* * *

Elena had gotten into bed expecting that Damon would come back into her room at some point during the night. She had still wanted to see him; more than she had wanted anything in a very long time. It had not surprised her when in the darkness of her room she felt someone's eyes on her. But when she discovered that those eyes belonged to Stefan, Elena was beyond surprised.

"Stefan what are you doing here?" Elena questioned, pulling the covers up over her exposed skin. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks but ignored it.

"You were expecting someone else?" He asked quietly, gently. His face gave away no emotion.

"What? No." She brushed the hair away from her face and looked him in the eye. "You're changing the subject though. I thought we agreed that it was best if we make a clean break from….this." She gestured to herself and him simultaneously as she added the last word.

He could see the cold disdain that had risen within her over the last few short hours. It broke his heart to see such an emotionless look from her; from his Elena. But she wasn't his anymore. Maybe she never really had been. Perhaps she had always been just a teasing reminder of the life that he had given up; and the life of his brothers that he had stolen. A mocking reminder of what he could never again have.

"In other words, you thought that you would never see me again?" Stefan asked, raising an eyebrow, his eyes dark and guarded.

Elena sighed. "Don't be like that," she said folding her arms over chest.

Stefan's eyes narrowed, not sure what to make of her mood or attitude. He had never seen this side of her; cold and distant and completely opposite from how she had always acted toward him. Was it possible for her to really switch her emotions so quickly? He let out a sigh and moved to lean against her desk.

"I am not here to try to change your mind, Elena. I just need to know whether or not you have said anything to Jenna."

A confused expression crossed the brunettes face.

"About Damon and I, I mean. You know, what you told Bonnie."

"I told you that I would keep your secret. It was only fair that Bonnie knew. I mean, Damon almost _killed_ her Stefan. And I told you before I said anything to her. But no, I haven't said anything to Jenna or Jeremy or anyone else." Something inside Elena jumped at the sound of her own voice talking about Damon that way; something that made her feel like she was betraying him in some way.

Stefan nodded, a look of relief crossing his darkened features. "You need to be very careful about what you say to Jenna. Now more than ever."

"Is this about Logan? I thought that Damon was taking care of him."

Stefan shook his head, his eyes constantly being drawn back to Elena's exposed flesh. He was suppressing the feelings he had for her, but he was afraid that the veins under his eyes were about to give him away at any moment. He couldn't stay much longer. This side of his thirst was something he didn't have as much control over. The lust for flesh was different than the blood lust; and while Stefan had mastered the latter, his feelings toward Elena had yet to change the pull he felt toward her body.

"It's not about Logan." Stefan took a couple of steps toward the window, breathing in the fresh air and looked out into the darkened sky. "It seems that Damon and I are gaining more attention here than I thought."

"I… don't understand," Elena said, baffled.

Stefan let out a sigh and looked back at Elena, who was now kneeling on the bed in a rather compromising position. He cleared his throat and looked back out the window as he spoke.

Elena glanced down at herself and blushed deeply, sitting and pulling the blanket up around herself again. Who knew what he thought of her now.

"Saltzman… the new history teacher?" Stefan said, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. "He's a hunter, Elena. He came here to kill Damon and myself."

Elena raised a brow. "You're trying to tell me that Mr. Alaric Saltzman is what? Like Buffy the vampire slayer?"

Stefan turned around to face her, looking her squarely in the eye. He could tell that she was trying to keep from giggling. "Elena, I understand that this life isn't something you are exactly familiar with. But there are people out there who know about our secret. People that believe and have perfected ways of killing us. They travel to places where stories of animal attacks and mysterious disappearances are common and they hunt down what they know is out there. And just because Damon and I have the ability to come out in the daylight doesn't mean we are any less vulnerable. Once he finds out what we are, he won't hesitate to kill us."

"So you're leaving?" The question came out in broken pants, her voice almost lost at the realization that Damon was in some serious trouble. It was the same statement she had made to him earlier that day. Although now the statement was more of a question, and the 'you' was no longer singular. Now the 'you' referred to both Salvatore brothers.

Stefan let out another sigh. "It's not that simple. There are still vampires out there. The ones that turned Logan Fell."

"Can't you scare them off? Tell them that there's a hunter in town?"

"I don't know that it will do any good." A beat. "What they are in Mystic Falls for… what they're after… a hunter won't keep them away."

Elena's brow furrowed. "What are they looking for, Stefan?"

There was a long pause. "Promise me you won't tell Jenna about us Elena. It's not safe for her to know… not when Alaric is cozying up to her so much recently."

"You know, don't you? You know what those vampires want." Elena pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around her legs, her chin resting on her knees.

"I have an idea," Stefan answered quietly, refusing to meet her gaze.

There was a knock at the door and before Elena could respond, Stefan had disappeared.

"Elena, everything okay?" It was Jenna. She cracked the door open and poked her head in. "Sounded like you were talking to someone."

Elena shook her head and smiled. "Nightmare," she replied, looking sheepish and giving her aunt a shrug. "I guess I talk in my sleep."

Jenna gave her a sympathetic smile. "You want to talk about it?"

Elena yawned and ran a hand through her hair. "I think I am just going to try to get back to sleep."

Jenna nodded. "Alright. If you need anything, I'm right down the hall."

Elena smiled and shrank down into the covers, resting her head on the pillow behind her. Jenna nodded and closed the door quietly. Once the door was closed, Elena padded from her bed to the open window. But Stefan was nowhere to be seen. Elena let out a sigh; it wasn't every day both of the Salvatore brothers leapt from her bedroom window. And it certainly wasn't every day that she had wanted the elder one to come back.

* * *

Bonnie had run off to look for Caroline, who had gotten herself in a little over her head through the course of the evening. After searching the bathroom, the bar and the billiard tables again, Bonnie headed outside hoping to find where Caroline had run off to. Pulling out her cell and dialing Caroline's number, Bonnie headed toward the parking lot.

Bonnie swore when the call went straight to voicemail, and shoved her phone back into her pocket. She was worried to know what would happen if Caroline got lost. Now that Bonnie knew about all of the dangers that lurked in the dark, she was more worried than ever for her friend's safety. Especially knowing what Damon had done to Caroline in the past. Bonnie wasn't just worried, she was scared shitless.

"CAROLINE!" She screamed at the top of her lungs; exasperated and angry and upset over the events of the entire day.

"Bonnie?" The blonde's voice was distant and the word was slurred.

Bonnie spun around and ran in the direction where Caroline's voice had come from. There was a crash which caused Bonnie's heart and her feet to stand still for a brief instant, and then Caroline began giggling.

When Bonnie made it around the corner of the restaurant she saw Caroline's feet dangling from the emergency exit staircase. Despite her flaring temper, a feeling of utter relief washed over Bonnie when she realized that Caroline was safe.

"Are you crazy girl? You know what kind of things are out here."

"And what's that?" Matt's voice startled Bonnie and she spun around on her heel, seeing that he had pulled his car around the back of the restaurant.

Bonnie swallowed hard. "You know… the animal attacks."

Matt nodded once and went over to Caroline, holding his hand out to her.

"MATT!" her voice was full of animation and the hiccup that followed caused Caroline to giggle again. "I knew I could count on you," she said, a grin firmly planted on her face.

When Caroline didn't make an effort to move, he wrapped an arm around her back, and his other under her knees and picked her up from her perch on the stairs. "Well, it's not Bonnie's fault you're so damn stubborn," he said, his voice strained from her weight. He turned around and faced Bonnie, whose surprise was still evident on her delicate features. "Come on, I'll help you get her home."

Bonnie smiled and opened the passenger door so that Matt could place Caroline inside. Once the door was closed, Bonnie reached out and stopped Matt.

"Listen, this wasn't supposed to hurt you, Matt." Bonnie said quietly, forcing her eyes to meet his. "Caroline was going through a really hard time after Damon and I kind of talked to her. I just wanted her to be careful, but I should have known better. I know you would never do anything to hurt her."

Matt's eyes were weary and cautious, and it took him a long moment to reply. Bonnie could tell he was considering his words carefully. "You know Bonnie, we've known each other for a long time. And I know that you've always been one to look out for your friends." He sighed. "And as much as I really want to be angry with you for putting some stupid ideas into her head, I can't blame you."

He looked back into the car, checking on Caroline, who was already passed out across the front seat, her head resting comfortably between the headrest and the passenger door.

"I am sure that in a few days everything will be cleared up, and any nonsense or doubt that I put in her head will be gone. Just... please trust me, Matt."

Matt gave Bonnie a weak smile. "The last time you said that, Elena ended up with Stefan." His voice was hurt, defeated.

"You can trust me this time. Nothing like that is going to happen with Caroline. Whatever she said to you earlier was solely because of me. It isn't how she feels, I can assure you of that."

Matt nodded and pushed his hands into his pockets. "I'm gunna get her home. Do you want to ride with me or follow me over there?"

Bonnie looked between Matt's truck and her car, which was across the lot. "Umm… I'll follow you over there, that way you don't have to worry about bringing me back for my car."

He pulled out his keys and headed for the driver's side. Bonnie began walking to her car, and then stopped and turned. "Hey Matt?"

He glanced up.

"Thank you," she replied quietly. He gave her another small nod and then ducked into the cab of the truck, pulling the door closed. Bonnie hurried to her car and let out a sigh. There in the quiet stillness of the night, something dawned on her. The reason for Caroline's behavior; and something that Grams had said to her. It seemed like things were beginning to fall into place after all.

* * *

"I know that you're here, Damon," Stefan called from his bedroom. "Or at least that you were," he said quieter through gritted teeth as he slammed his journal shut. "That joke is getting really old." He ripped a piece of paper from the journal that Damon had written on and threw it into the trashcan.

"I thought you would want to remember the day that Elena dumped you. I was under the impression that it would have more meaning to you." Damon grinned from the doorway.

"Where have you been all day?" Stefan asked, his eyes throwing daggers at his older brother.

"I was busy. Told you I had some 'loose ends' of my own to tie up. They're mostly taken care of at this point. But I still have one that is… shall we say, pending?"

"You lied to me about Fell. You didn't waste him. And I want to know why."

A brow arched on the elder Salvatore's features and a grin spread slowly across his face. "Does it really matter who did it, Stefan? I mean, the job's done, isn't it?"

Stefan's eyes narrowed as he watched his brother circle him like a hawk. "Yes it matters. If someone else did it then someone else knows that we're here."

Damon patted Stefan on the back. "Look at you, thinking for yourself. I'm so proud." The mocking in Damon's voice was clear and he slid into the leather chair in the room and picked up the paper that Stefan had just thrown into the garbage.

"You aren't worried about people finding out about us? About the others that are out there?"

"Dear Diary," Damon grinned, reading from the crumpled paper. "Today my girlfriend left me. I knew that it was going to happen sooner or later. After all, what do they say about history but that it repeats itself?"

Stefan scoffed. "Do you take nothing seriously?"

Damon shrugged. "I like to take life as it comes. It's much more fun that way." He winked at Stefan before adding. "And I know my way of thinking works better than yours… because I get laid a hell of a lot more than you do."

"Damon, this isn't a joke anymore. You need to be careful."

Damon grinned. "Use protection, got it." He threw the piece of paper back at Stefan and made his way to the window. "Now, if you'll excuse me… I have some things… or someone, rather, to tie up for the next few hours." And then, he was on the ground.

Stefan moved to the window in time to watch his brother disappear into the darkness. "Don't wait up," Damon called back from his invisible place in the forest.

* * *

Elena shivered in her bed, despite being under the covers. The cool breeze blowing in from the open window was giving her goosebumps all over her body. But she couldn't help the stimulated, excited feeling that seemed to hover along her skin with the tiny chilled bumps. There was a secret electricity coursing through her body and her breath caught in her throat with every shadow that danced along her ceiling.

And then there was one she recognized. The outline of a figure in her window startled her and made her gasp. If she had any notion to pretend that she was asleep instead of waiting for him, she had already failed. Not that her racing heart wouldn't have been a dead give-away, but still there was something about the way that she and Damon teased each other that made her want to put on the act anyway. And so, as he slowly made his way to her bedside, Elena made every effort to keep her breathing slow and steady.

The mattress sank slightly under his weight as he sat beside her, taking in her features in the pale moonlight.

Her eyes fluttered open at the touch of his hand against her cheek and she smiled up at him. "I knew that you would come back for me," she said quietly, sitting up.

His eyes narrowed and he double checked to make sure that the necklace was still in place. Far-be-it for Damon to question a girls actions, but this one seemed a little too in sync with his own thinking for his liking. He had to admit, however, that her answer this afternoon had been completely to his satisfaction, and if Elena truly wanted a taste of the wild side, who was he to deny it of her?

Elena leaned over silently and pushed the jacket off of his shoulders and off of his arms. He could see the desire burning in her eyes and if he had questioned her motivations at all anymore, there was no way to stop him from what he was going to do to her. This girl who had been watered down and caged for months by his stupid, calculated brother was finally acknowledging her desire for him and he was planning on ravaging her more ways than she could count. But he wasn't about to get ahead of himself. There was always an order to things and with the way she was looking at him made it clear that she had no intentions on sleeping any time soon.

Once his jacket had been thrown onto the chair near her bed, Damon kicked off his shoes and found a comfortable position beside her in bed. His fingers brushed the hair from her forehead. "I don't know how you knew," he said quietly. "I didn't even know."

Elena raised a brow. "Maybe I know you better than you think."

He grinned. "I doubt it." And then he covered her mouth with his before she could respond, capturing her lips in a kiss with more passion than he had planned. The moment his lips connected with hers, Elena could feel the electricity that had been coursing within her heighten, double and curve along both of their bodies. The kiss was slow at first, passionate and deep and thorough. His tongue gently traced the curve of her lips until she parted them just enough to give him full access to her mouth. Damon's mouth was sweet and salty. His tongue was hungrily exploring hers and she could feel the first of many moans bubbling inside her. Her hands grasped at the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling him closer, tighter. She could feel the hunger within her as it rippled its way to the surface. She unclenched a fistful of his hair and slid her fingers along his shoulder, down his arm, along the side of his defined, muscular side until she found the hem of the shirt she had toyed with hours earlier.

He rolled until he was on top of her, the weight of his body pressing her into the bed. Every inch of his body against her warm, smooth skin. She opened her eyes, taking notice of the dark veins beneath his eyes, giving his lust for her away. Her breath was coming out in shallow pants and she turned her head to the side just enough to take in a full breath. Quiet moans passed through her parted lips as his continued to move along her skin, down her neck and to that small area of skin along her collar bone that Stefan had never discovered. The hand that was still fisted in his hair pressed against his head as she moaned louder, eagerly anticipating everything that he had explicitly described on previous occasions.

"That's a rather large invitation, kitten," he breathed coolly against her neck, his canines grazing lightly across the flesh there.

Instead he resumed the trail of kisses as his hands gently found their way to the bottom of her short nightgown. "I am impressed with the wardrobe change as well." He paused, meeting her eyes again.

"Told you I knew you better than you thought."

He ticked up an eyebrow. "Yeah, we'll see about that." His mind raced with all of the unexpected things he could do to her at any time. But the fact remained that all he wanted to do was exactly what he knew she was expecting of him. All of the girls the past several months, Elena's friend Caroline included had been dull and boring compared to this. Her skin was on fire and electric all at the same time. Each touch of her gentle exploring fingers drove him crazy. She had teased him for so long- too long.

Damon found himself panting; found himself anticipating; found himself eager. As his hand slid up her creamy white thigh, his lips captured hers again and he pressed her deeper into the mattress. Her nails on his back told him that he was giving her exactly what she wanted and when he moved his lips from hers to let her breathe again, her panting words were like music to his ears.

"There are two things I want from you tonight Damon," she said, her voice dripping with the sex he was about to give her. "I want you to make love to me…" there was a pause, and when she spoke again her voice was an almost silent whisper. "And I want you to bite me."

* * *

A/N: Dun dun dun…. Soo…. What did you think? Love it? Hate it? Let me know. Thanks lovelies. Reviews are the colors in my rainbow.


	8. Alone

A/N: First and foremost, I want to say thank you all so much for the overwhelming love and all of the amazing reviews. You are SO awesome! Secondly, I desperately appreciate all of your favorites. Your words have been so encouraging. Damon is so much fun to write and I am really glad that you're all enjoying what I have come up with. There is a lot more in store, so I hope you're all ready!!!

* * *

**Alone**

_And now it chills me to the bone  
How do I get you alone?_

Alone by Heart

* * *

Stefan was far too worked up to sleep that night. After the awkward conversation with Elena and the infuriating conversation with Damon, Stefan's thoughts were running rampant and he knew that he needed to find something to do with himself. He glanced around the room, eyes stopping briefly on the journal that he thought about taking the time to write in. But after what Damon had done tonight, Stefan didn't feel much like writing. He felt like taking action. Gracefully leaping from his bedroom window and silently landing on the soft earth below, Stefan took off into the dark forest for a quick dinner and then some serious tracking. He wasn't sure what his plan was yet, he would figure that out when the time came, but he knew that he would need to find the vampires that were in the area sooner rather than later, especially since Damon seemed to have no plans involving getting rid of them. Or at the very least finding out what they wanted.

The deer deep in the woods was noisy and easy to spot, especially by Stefan. He overtook it quickly and drained the animal within a few minutes, discarding it before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Something about the evening was nagging at his mind, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Something that Damon had said earlier, something that Stefan had overlooked during the heat of the argument was now was trying to break free from its storage space in his mind. As many times as he replayed the conversation in his head, he couldn't remember what it was that Damon had said that had gotten to him so badly. Something that had caused him to think of a moment long ago; the betrayal of his first love. But no matter which part of the day he pulled into his mind, Stefan couldn't place the reason for the uneasy feeling.

Growing more and more annoyed by the second, Stefan steered himself to a place further in the woods and came across a fresh scent near the old church ruins. Had it been merely Damon's or Bonnie's or Elena's he would have dismissed it, knowing that the four of them had been there just a few weeks ago. But this scent was something new and different and far fresher than it should have been. Someone had been at the old ruins since the last rain two days prior. Stefan crouched down, taking some of the loose earth in his hands and bringing it to his face, smelling it thoroughly. Perhaps this was the reason Damon had been so elusive with him about the vampires that were in town. Whoever it was, they were interested in the church ruins. And that thought did not bode well for Stefan or the secret he was trying to protect of that particular place.

* * *

Waking up the next morning, Bonnie Bennett had little idea of what to expect. For one thing, she still had yet to talk to Elena and find out what was going on with her feelings for Stefan. And then there was the overwhelming problem with Caroline, who did things far too quickly and rashly. On the plus side, it was Saturday, which meant that she wouldn't have to worry about school getting in the way of getting to the bottom of whatever was going on with her friends. The only downside would be that Caroline and Elena would probably be more difficult to find.

Bonnie groaned as her phone rang too loudly in her ear and she rolled over, picking it up before answering.

"Hello?"

"I didn't really get anywhere on the Matt problem last night," her friend answered quickly

"Hello to you too, Care. I'm assuming you've got some Tylenol and water in your system."

"Yeah, one raging headache later and I'm no closer to fixing things with Matt."

"Oh I don't know about that," Bonnie said cryptically, a smile playing on her lips.

"Huh? Spit it out, Bon. We're not all psychically gifted."

"I'm not psychic," Bonnie said, shaking her head and then raking fingers through her bed-head. "I just meant that I wouldn't write Matt off yet. He did bring you home."

"He did?" The blonde questioned from the other end of the line.

Bonnie giggled. "You don't remember? God girl, how much did you drink last night?"

"Matt brought me home?"

"Carried you to the car and everything."

"But he didn't stay…"

Bonnie raised a brow. "I didn't know you two were _that_ close."

Caroline scoffed. "We're not. Last time though… he brought me home and stayed the night. We kind of… cuddled."

"Ohhh, you're so going to get it!" Bonnie said excitedly, her voice going up an entire octave in the course of those 8 words. By the end it sounded more like a squeal than anything else. "I can't believe you've been holding out on me! And so many juicy details too!"

"Hardly." There was a quick pause. And then an abrupt change of topic. "You see Elena at all yesterday? She was acting super sketchy at lunch and she never got back to me about the party over at Mason tonight."

Bonnie paused. "No. Haven't seen her. I need to talk to her though… I was thinking about going over there for breakfast."

"Oh we should make a day of it! Pick me up on the way and we can all go shopping after for clothes for the party. Please Bonnie? Please, please, please?! I _need_ a distraction from all this boy stuff. It's exhausting."

"Uh, yeah I guess so. I mean if Elena doesn't have any plans or anything."

"So you're going to come to the party with me tonight? I need some backup. I can't do a college soiree alone."

"Haven't you done enough partying this week?"

"I'll see ya in ten!" Click.

Bonnie fell back down into bed and covered her face with a pillow, resisting the urge to scream. The conversation that she wanted to have with Elena wasn't exactly something she had wanted Caroline there for. She loved Caroline, but the girl did have a tendency to blurt things out. And with something as sensitive as this, Bonnie wasn't sure it would be best if Caroline was present.

* * *

Elena's eyes slid open slowly as she awoke from her slumber. It had been a peaceful and dreamless night, once she had finally gotten around to sleeping, which was considerably later than when she had gotten into bed. A smile spread across her face thinking about the night before and everything that had transpired in her bed with Damon. She had surprised herself when she had asked him to make love to her. It had surprised her even more when he had obliged, taking everything she had to give tenderly and passionately. Damon was different than she had expected him to be. Even when he had taken the first taste of her blood, Elena could sense something inside of him that was finally opening up; not that she would call notice to it. She had always known that Damon was passionate, every flair of anger and stabbing quip made it clear that he had deep emotions. But Elena knew better than to think that Damon would be comfortable sharing them. But when he made love to her, staring deep into her eyes like he was looking past her, deeper than her, she could sense the change in him. And she had taken his own blood when he offered it to her, and the high that she felt afterward was more enticing and exciting than anything she had felt before.

Laying in bed now, part of her wondered why she had waited so long to pursue Damon, but the nagging feeling in the back of her mind reminded her of Stefan. The pang of guilt and remorse she felt faded quickly when a strong arm tightened around her waist, pulling her back flush against him between the sheets.

Elena wiggled free enough to roll over and face him. "You're still here," she said quietly.

Damon shrugged. "I figured I could make you your breakfast after you give me mine." He ticked up an eyebrow and gave her an expectant grin.

Elena flushed. "After last night, I don't think I have much left to give."

Damon's smile broadened. "Well, you are looking rather pale," he replied, feigning concern. And then he lifted up the sheets and examined her exposed flesh. "Would you like me to get your blood circulating a little better for you?"

Damon rolled them both over until he was on top of her, his knee parting her legs the slightest bit. He dipped his head down until his lips brushed her ear. "You know, every part of you smells positively mouth-watering."

Elena's blush deepened until her face was crimson. She blatantly changed the subject, pulling a hand to her neck, running her fingers along the smooth skin. "Why don't I have any… you know, bite marks?"

Damon's eyes glinted with mischief and fervor. "My blood. It healed the wounds."

Elena smiled and nodded.

"But, if you'd like a token reminder, I would be more than happy to oblige."

"Maybe later," Elena admitted. "I can't let you have it all."

"Mmm," he hummed in her ear. "That's not what you said last night."

Elena rolled her eyes and pushed herself up to lean on her elbows, Damon still perched atop her. "That's not what I meant. But I do have things to do today, Damon."

"Are you denying me morning-after sex…" he questioned, his brow furrowing. "AND kicking me out?"

"Unless you really want Jenna finding you here. And trust me, I know you're strong, but you'd be no match for an angry aunt who is trying to prove herself as a 'parental figure'."

Damon gave her a sideways glance. "She wouldn't have to remember a thing."

Elena smacked him. "You will _NOT_ compel her." She stood up from the bed and ran a hand through her hair, grabbing a hair tie and pulling her hair into a messy ponytail.

Damon raised his right hand. "Scouts honor."

Elena stuck her tongue out at him. "They didn't even have boy scouts when you were a kid."

"Completely irrelevant," Damon replied, catching Elena's hand and pulling her back into bed, locking her hands over her head as he laid her back down. Biting gently at her neck, Damon teased her by soothing each bite with his tongue before moving to a new place on her exposed flesh.

Elena moaned quietly before struggling again. "Damon…" she whimpered. "I really have to get in the shower."

Damon sighed against her pulse point and then rubbed his nose along her skin gently. "Yeah, yeah."

She raised a brow. "I thought you liked that I didn't give you what you wanted when you wanted all the time. I thought you appreciated my 'spark'."

Damon was off of her in the next instant, fully dressed before she even had a chance to sit up.

"Damon, I-"

He sat beside her on the bed and placed a chaste kiss on her pouting lips. And then he was gone.

* * *

Bonnie parked her car along the curb outside of Elena's house. She glanced over at Caroline, who was busy re-applying her lip gloss in the mirror.

"What if she already has plans? Or doesn't feel like going?" Bonnie asked, turning off the engine and pulling the key from the ignition.

Caroline shrugged. "Do some crazy hoodoo on her or something."

Bonnie smacked her friend. "Not funny! I'm not even going to try another spell for a really long time."

"Good. I'm pretty sure your last one didn't work so well. And if she doesn't want to go then I guess we'll just have to team up on her. It will be good for her. I mean, after everything that happened with Stefan, she needs some girl time."

Bonnie nodded. "Don't we all…"

Caroline smacked her lips together and closed the mirror. "Exactly my point."

Bonnie nodded grimly and got out of the car, closing the door behind her. With Caroline close behind her, Bonnie made her way to the door and knocked. "Maybe we should have called first."

"Please. It's 10 in the morning. I am sure Elena is already up and dressed with two loads of laundry done and folded. Besides, her car is right there, so it's not like she went anywhere."

Bonnie sighed but was relieved when the door swung open and Elena stood there dressed and hair wet.

"Hey guys, what's up?" She asked, smiling.

"Just wanted to stop by and see what you were up to today," Caroline practically sang. "We were thinking shopping at the mall before the party tonight."

Elena's eyes danced- something that both girls in the doorway found a little curious. "Oh yeah! I completely forgot. Come on in, I just have to finish getting ready and we can go."

Bonnie and Caroline exchanged a glance before entering the house. "See, I told you." Caroline whispered; a triumphant smile on her face.

"But Elena, we never made plans to go shopping." Bonnie replied, confused about what had gotten into her friend. Was this how the spell was affecting her?

"Oh, I know. But Caroline and I talked about the party thing yesterday. I thought it over and I really think getting out of Mystic Falls for a night sounds like a great idea."

"You do?" Bonnie asked, still not used to Elena acting this way.

"Yeah. Definitely. It sounds exciting, ya know?"

Bonnie nodded, gulping. Had Elena gotten herself into any trouble the day before? Talking about this was worrying Bonnie when she thought about what could have transpired over the last 24 hours when she hadn't been in communication with Elena.

"What's got a spring in your step?" Caroline blurted out, following Elena upstairs.

Elena shrugged. "I don't know what you mean."

Caroline gasped. "You and Stefan totally got back together and _did it_ last night!!"

Elena raised a brow. "Not even close. There's no spring. I'm just in a good mood."

"Hmmm…" Caroline said, sitting on Elena's bed and putting her fist under her chin. "I'm not buying it."

Elena laughed. "Well, don't strain yourself thinking about it, Care. I promise there's nothing going on with Stefan and I."

"Uh huh," Caroline replied, still not completely convinced.

Elena turned back from the mirror after applying eye shadow and lip gloss. Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out, seeing a text message from a number she didn't recognize. When she opened the message, she smiled reading the words.

"_See you tonight, kitten."_

Elena grinned, feeling something almost devious inside her. "So, Caroline. Tell me about this party…"

* * *

A/N: So, what did you all think?! I've got the next few chapters mapped out already in my head and will be starting on getting them written and proofed ASAP. So, keep checking back for more updates! As always… reviews are the stars in my sky!


	9. Have to Start to End

A/N: I am constantly overwhelmed by the amazing reviews you all leave me. You are incredible! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. And thank you even more for your supportive thoughts and feedback. I love every last one of them and they are all so appreciated.

* * *

**Have to Start to End**

_The way things have fallen, Can't be afraid anymore  
First we were water, In creation lake  
Have to start to end , To go where life lives_

Creation Lake by Silversun Pickups

* * *

Stefan traced the scent of the vampires to the next town over but by the time he made it that far, the streets were beginning to fill with people and he couldn't risk drawing too much attention to himself. He would have to resume his search later, and hopefully he could find them while it was still light outside and catch them off guard. As far as he knew, he and his brother were the only ones able to walk in the sunlight. So, for the time being he resigned himself to hunting through the old library at the boarding house for the journals of Bonnie's ancestor Emily. He had no way of knowing if the journals would even be there, but since in the last days of the vampire reign in Mystic Falls in 1864 had mostly occurred at their house, Stefan wondered if he might come across something there.

Katherine and Emily had been staying at the boarding house back then and Emily had spent a good deal of time in the library reading and writing. In fact, Stefan wondered if she had found some secret hiding place for her compositions. It honestly wouldn't surprise him. A brief thought of asking Bonnie to come over and perform a spell to reveal the location passed through his mind, but Stefan dismissed it quickly. It was not fair for him to ask that of Bonnie. Especially now that he and Elena were no longer together.

Stefan, of all people, knew the importance of those journals. They held secrets about vampires and witchcraft that would be deadly and devastating in the wrong hands. He was surprised that Damon had yet to make a disaster of the library searching for them himself. Either Damon knew something that he didn't, or the thought had yet to occur to his brother that Emily might have hidden them in the boarding house.

"Working on a school project, little brother?" Damon asked, descending the stairs in the large room.

Stefan sighed, wondering why it was that every time he wanted most to be alone, Damon showed up. Was it possible that Damon could sense his emotions and just did it to toy with him? Well, more realistically, it was probably because Stefan was always looking for a reprieve from his taunting brother.

"Something like that," Stefan replied.

Damon perched himself on the desk Stefan sat behind. "It's about time you got your head back into your education. A young mind is such a terrible thing to waste."

"Damon, when have you ever cared about any type of education?" Stefan asked, closing the book in front of him and meeting his brothers gaze.

"Well, I'm here more to discuss issues other than the general well-being of your scholastic achievements."

Stefan raised a brow. "Such as?"

"Your interest in Logan Fell."

Stefan walked to his backpack and pulled out the splintered piece of wood he had broken from the stake through Fell's heart and showed it to Damon. "I found this when I examined the body. Your scent isn't anywhere on it and it belongs to someone… human. Someone who is getting closer and closer to discovering us."

"Tell me who they are," Damon smirked. "They won't be a problem for long."

"Damon. You know that the townspeople suspect something. Killing someone on their side would really not be a great idea." Stefan tossed the stake to Damon and sat down on the couch trying to gauge his brother's response.

"Don't worry about them. I've got the sheriff eating out of the palm of my hand. They won't ever suspect anything from you and I."

"Unless whoever turned Fell starts causing a scene."

Damon yawned, expressing his boredom with the situation. "Why do you even care so much?"

Stefan's eyes widened just a fraction and he gasped when he finally put it all together. "You know about them, don't you?" He stood up and moved to Damon's side. "Did you… you let Fell go? That's why you're avoiding this so much. That's why you don't care." He laughed, shaking his head, wondering why he hadn't put it together earlier. "You know what they're after. This whole thing about them being after Elena was just to get me out of the way."

Damon gave his brother a dejected look. "You are one paranoid, undead vampire."

Stefan laughed. "I can't believe this, Damon. Why would you keep this from me? What did Fell tell you?"

Damon's eyes narrowed, realizing that his brother was not going to let this go. "He claimed there was another way to get into the tomb. And that whoever turned him knows how to do it."

"Katherine…" Stefan sighed. "This is about Katherine?"

Damon tilted his head to the side, eyes saying 'duh'. "It's always been about Katherine. Everything I have done has been to get her back." Damon smirked. "Well… maybe not _everything_."

"Yeah, I don't need all the gory details." Stefan sat on the armrest of the couch. He should have known that even now Damon was scheming to get Katherine back. He should have suspected that it was the only reason Damon was sticking around town.

"They're not all gory. Some of them are quite… steamy."

Stefan put up his hand in protest. "Seriously Damon. Don't want to know."

"If you say so," Damon replied, a smile playing on his face as he replayed the previous night in his mind again.

"So what did he say about getting into the tomb?"

Damon shrugged. "Whoever was playing weekend vampire warrior got to Fell before I could get any more details than that.

"And you don't know who the other vampires were?"

"If I did, do you think I would be sitting here having this inane conversation with you?"

Stefan sighed and then decided to change his approach. "What if I help you?"

A look of skepticism crossed Damon's face. "Why would you do anything to help me?"

Stefan paused for a moment. If he wanted to get Damon to believe him, he needed a plausible excuse. There was no way to say 'so that I can keep an eye on you.' And so Stefan used the next best reason. The only thing that Damon would believe if Stefan said it. "If there is any reason at all that they might actually be after Elena, I want to be able to protect her. You have to admit it is a strange 'coincidence' that she looks exactly like Katherine."

"You would do that even though she kicked your ass to the curb?"

Stefan frowned before answering. "She means a lot to me, even if I don't mean as much to her anymore."

"And the tomb?"

Stefan swallowed hard, the muscles in his jaw contracting as he clenched his teeth together. "We will cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Why should I trust you?"

Stefan's eyes narrowed and he leaned over onto the desk, leveling his brother's gaze. "Because over the last century and a half I am the only one of the two of us who has faithfully kept their word."

Damon scoffed. "And why would you help me?"

Stefan kept his steady gaze on Damon; challenging him, threatening him. As if Damon could ever feel threatened by his little brother. Stefan knew that Damon was stronger than he would ever be. But still, Damon could feel the defiance rolling like tides off of Stefan. It was interesting to see his kid brother this way. And it was rare. Stefan was usually far too dull for Damon to want to trifle with until he was trying to protect a human. And only then did Damon find any interest in Stefan at all. Elena had changed Stefan the most, Damon had to admit. Finally there was some spark back in his brother. And Damon would do whatever he could to ignite that fire- or extinguish it forever.

Stefan smiled a little when he finally spoke. "Because I have a feeling it is the only way to get rid of you."

* * *

After several hours of shopping, giggling, chatting and boy-scouting, Caroline, Elena and Bonnie headed back into the small town of Mystic Falls, feeling refreshed and ready for a night of dancing, drinking and well, more boy-scouting. Bonnie, who felt content to stay in tried to persuade her friends to join her in a movie night instead, but she was vetoed by both Caroline and Elena. And so, as Caroline made her way back to her house in Bonnie's borrowed car to grab the skirt that matched perfectly to her new halter top, Bonnie and Elena hurried up the stairs to Elena's room where they had primping and changing of their own to do.

Bonnie dropped her bags onto Elena's bed and started rifling through them to find the perfect combination of new articles of clothing to wear to the college party they were going to be crashing later that evening.

Elena, on the other hand had already stripped out of her jeans and t-shirt and grabbed her towel from behind the bathroom door, wrapping it around herself. She stopped in the doorway as a thought broke the surface of her mind.

"Hey, whatever happened to you yesterday?" She asked, looking at Bonnie curiously. "Is everything okay with Grams?"

Bonnie's eyes shifted to the floor. So far, it seemed as though Grams was right, there was nothing too crazy about Elena's behavior, and therefore little reason to mention the spell. If anything changed in the future, Bonnie could always tell Elena then. "Uh yeah. She just slipped and I wanted to make sure she was alright. No broken bones, no bruises or anything. She's fine."

Elena smiled. "Oh good." She turned for the bathroom. "I'm just going to take a quick shower."

Bonnie nodded. "Oh wait! Elena." Elena turned and raised a brow. "What was it that you wanted to talk to me about yesterday? Dreams or something like that?"

Elena hesitated. How could Bonnie understand all of the events that had transpired over the last 48 hours? Elena herself didn't fully grasp the meaning of it all.

"Ya know, I don't even remember what it was about now." She laughed nervously and rested her hand on the doorknob to the bathroom. Elena started to close the door behind her again, when Bonnie interrupted.

"Hey Elena?"

Elena leaned against the bathroom doorframe, "Hmm?"

There was a brief pause. And then Bonnie spoke. "How are you… I mean… with the whole Stefan thing… how are you handling it? You doing okay?"

Elena moved toward the bed and sat down opposite from Bonnie and let out a long sigh. "It was hard at first, knowing that he didn't want to be with me; knowing that he wouldn't let himself be with me. And then, all at once it was like a weight was lifted and everything that I had been holding back, every worry and doubt that I had about it all just vanished. And I knew that being with Stefan really, truly wasn't meant to be. It was kind of weird, ya know? The other night I went to bed wondering how I was going to let him walk away… I was planning out all of the ways to tell him to stay. And then when I woke up, it was just like I knew. He was leaving. And I needed to let him go."

Bonnie gulped, knowing how much her spell had to do with that feeling. More than anything, she wanted Elena to be happy. But seeing her now, content like this and fully able to handle not being with Stefan, made Bonnie wonder if Grams was really right. Maybe she had nothing to worry about at all. Maybe, just maybe, Providence was at work in this cosmic mistake.

Bonnie forced a smile and put her hand on Elena's arm. "If you need anything though, Ben and Jerry's, Nicholas Sparks movie night, unbaked cookie dough, a copy of my Monster Ballads CD, just let me know, okay? I'll be here."

Elena smiled, holding back a giggle that was threatening to rupture through her. "I know you will. And if I need any of those things, you will definitely be my first call."

Bonnie returned her friends smile. "Alright, enough silliness. Go get in the shower! T minus one hour until we leave for the party!"

Elena let her escape her now as she pranced off to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Bonnie sighed and sat there in silence for a few moments, wondering if she had made the right decision after all. And then she turned on the stereo in Elena's room to a Top 40's and pulled out her day's purchases to make the final wardrobe decision about her party outfit as she sang along to Justin Timberlake's SexyBack.

* * *

Caroline had just gotten home and opened the door to her bedroom. She could sense the disturbance in her things before she had even laid eyes on him. He had been here, gone through her things. And she was pissed.

"What are you doing here, Damon?" Caroline asked angrily, eyes scanning the room until she found him sitting on the chaise in the northeast corner.

"My my, what a warm welcome," he said, peering up from the book in his hands.

"Is that my diary?"

Damon grinned. "Looks like it didn't take you nearly as long as I would have expected for you to get over me."

"Give that back!" she shrieked, lunging for the book.

Damon moved too quick for her, like always. It wasn't as if she thought she could actually get it from him, but she hoped he would be sympathetic. Who was she kidding? Damon was incapable of normal human emotions. He was seemingly incapable of any emotions whatsoever.

"I am merely here because you called me."

Caroline sighed exasperated and crossed her arms in front of her. "I only called you because I wanted to tell you that I didn't want to talk to you anymore." Her tone was indignant.

Damon waited a beat, eyes on her and a single brow arched.

Understanding filled her face and she glared. "Yeah, so I guess I didn't actually think it through very well."

Damon shook his head. "Useless."

The word reverberated through Caroline and her glare turned death-like. "Get out of here Damon. Right now. Just give me the book back and leave. You and I have nothing further to discuss."

"We could talk about Matt Donovan if you wanted to."

Caroline's eyes narrowed. "We could talk about my mother. Or maybe, I should just talk TO her."

Damon chuckled darkly. "You. Wouldn't. Dare."

Caroline held her hand out expectantly. Damon stood from the chair and dropped the book into her hand.

"And here I thought you actually missed me," he cooed into her ear, causing her eyes to close and her mind to wander back to their nights of love-making in her bed. She swallowed hard and snapped her thoughts away from him. He was bad for her; everything about him told her that. And if she wasn't careful, he would kill her. He had confirmed that himself.

"Don't flatter yourself. If I needed someone for a one-night-stand I would rather go after your _brother_. At least he has manners."

Damon laughed again. "Please, the day my brother gets a girl in bed before me is the day I stake _myself_ through the heart."

Caroline calmed, feeling her heart finally begin to slow. "We're done here, Damon."

He nodded. "Noted. Don't disappoint me, Caroline." He whispered quietly, twirling a strand of her blonde hair around one finger. "It would truly be a shame to end the life of such a beautiful girl." And then he was gone.

Caroline shuttered. She could feel the tears stinging at the corners of her eyes, but she brushed them harshly away with the back of her hand before any could spill. She shut and locked her window, drawing the blinds, as if it might have some effect of slowing him down. She knew that she would never be any sort of match for him, even if she was equipped with a hundred stakes. She would never have what it takes to kill Damon Salvatore. And he knew it too.

Clenching her jaw tight with vision that was so heated everything looked as though it were tinted red, Caroline stuffed the diary back under her pillow and moved swiftly to the closet. If there was one thing that Caroline knew, it was that the best way to forget a guy was to go out somewhere with her two best friends looking hot. And so, that was exactly what Caroline planned to do. The last color faded from the sky as the sun dipped below the horizon, leaving long shadows strewn across the room as she hunted for the perfect ensemble.

* * *

A/N: Again, I hope you enjoyed it! The exciting party scene is coming up in the next chapter and I truly hope you'll all come back and check it out. As always, reviews are the Jerry's to my Ben. ^_^


	10. More Unclear

A/N: Wow. I am completely in awe at everyone's responses to this story. You are all SO incredible, you have no idea. I love each and every one of you who reads, reviews and/or favorites. You're remarkable. Please, continue to let me know what you think. And if anyone has any ideas (for this story or any new ones) I aim to please… so just let me know. Thanks so much again everyone. Xoxo. And now…

* * *

**More Unclear**

_Lines ever more unclear  
Not sure I'm even here  
The more I look the more I think that I'm  
Starting to disappear_

Crystal Ball by Keane

* * *

Pulling up to the party, Bonnie felt more nervous than she thought she should be. But going to a party where there were so many people they didn't know, with both of her friends whose minds had been altered by a spell she put on them, Bonnie knew that her nerves were strictly placed where they should be. Because who knew what Caroline and Elena would do tonight; who knew what their romance-free minds were capable of? Bonnie shuddered at the thought. She had high hopes that Caroline had already broken herself out of the spell, but Bonnie wasn't about to go as far as to say that she were cured.

Bonnie parked her car in the visitor lot and they all made their way to the fraternity house that Caroline had been given directions to.

"I really don't know that this is a good idea, Care," Bonnie admitted again, for the twelfth time that night.

Caroline sighed and rolled her eyes simultaneously. "Please Bonnie. Come on, it's going to be fine. We're going to have an awesome time and forget all about Mystic Falls and those stupid high school boys for one night. Can't we just do that for one night?"

Bonnie let out a sigh of her own, finally giving in for the last time tonight. She could have fun and forget the rules for one night. Maybe. If she tried _really_ hard. "Yeah…" she replied quietly.

Elena found herself giggling as she grabbed Bonnie's hand and they made their way up the stairs of the house, where loud rap music was blaring from the inside. "Come on, Bonnie. It'll be fun." Elena said, trying to encourage her friend to be in a better mood. It's not like they were going to an after-hours underground club or strip club. It was just a college party- completely harmless fun.

Caroline linked her arm through Bonnie's on the other side and grinned. "Are we ready?"

Bonnie gulped. This was SO not a good idea. "As ready as I'll ever be…"

* * *

Stefan entered the establishment and took a long look around. He wasn't sure if he would find anyone from school here or not, but there were some things that he needed to learn about Mr. Saltzman, and some information to dig up about anything strange going on in town. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't compel people into giving him the information he wanted. His diet had been rather poor lately and squirrels and raccoons weren't exactly a stellar meal to get the Powers flowing. He just hadn't had time for anything else today. Looked like he was going to have to go about this the old fashioned investigation way. Not that he really expected anyone to help him out much. No matter how much he had tried to become a part of Elena's inner circle at school, it was obvious that people still found him to be an outsider. Grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting down at a high-top table near a vacant pool table, Stefan scanned the perimeter again. Matt had just walked in with Tyler trailing closely behind him. He would have to see what he could do about talking to them-

"Stefan, hey," the voice caused Stefan to pivot in his chair and refocus his eyes on the person claiming the seat beside him.

"Mr. Saltzman… hey," Stefan gave his most charming smile and tried to remain calm. He had no idea how much Alaric knew about hunting vampires, but if it was anything compared to what the sheriff and the town leaders knew, Stefan had to be as 'human normal' as possible.

"No whiskey in there or anything is there?" Alaric asked, eyeing the coffee mug suspiciously.

Stefan laughed, dismissing the question. "Nah, just coffee for me."

Mr. Saltzman relaxed a little and smiled. "Oh good. I hate the whole awkward meeting-students-out-finding-them-doing-things-they-shouldn't conversation."

Stefan nodded. "Understandable. I try to refrain from breaking the law so conspicuously."

Alaric raised a brow.

"I mean… not that I break the law… but I certainly wouldn't be sitting in a public venue drinking a shot of Jack Daniels where anyone can see me doing it."

Mr. Saltzman gave him an amused smile and shook his head. "Teenagers," he mumbled. "Oh, so how's your project coming along? I hope my outlines were useful yesterday."

"Mmm," Stefan hummed, a mouthful of coffee keeping him from speaking. He swallowed and smiled, feigning embarrassment. "Yes, they did, thank you so much. I've decided to write my essay on the effects on civilian life during the Civil War."

Alaric mulled the idea over in his mind for a moment. "Interesting. What led you to that topic?"

Stefan bit at the inside of his cheek and kept his eyes downcast on the table. "Uhh… family history. The boarding house where I live has been passed down from generation to generation in the Salvatore family. It has a lot of rich history and there are several firsthand account journals in our library there."

"Really?" Mr. Saltzman seemed interested; too interested.

Stefan froze. Well, if that wasn't the stupidest thing ever to bring up he didn't know what was. He nodded dismissively. "Yeah, bunch of old women going on and on about the deterioration of the country and how they couldn't imagine living without slaves…"

"Ah," Alaric replied. His eyes fell a little and the elation drained a bit from his face. Stefan relaxed back into his chair. Alaric shook his head. "Sorry, I'm sure the last thing you want to do on a Saturday night is talk to your history teacher about a school assignment."

Stefan shook his head. "Nah, it's okay."

Alaric shrugged. "No date tonight with Miss Gilbert?" He glanced around, hoping to sneak a peek of her aunt, Jenna Sommers.

Stefan sighed. "Uh… no." He took a sip of his coffee before offering a more thorough explanation. "Elena and I…"

"Oh," Alaric replied quietly. "Oh!" he said a little louder this time. "I am sorry Stefan. I didn't mean to…"

Stefan shrugged. "It's alright. You didn't know."

"I just feel-"

"Hey Stefan, Mr. Saltzman," Matt said, coming up to the table with a pool stick in his hand.

"Mr. Donovan," Alaric replied respectfully.

"Matt," Stefan answered at the same time.

"Yeah… well, I just wanted to see if you were ready… to show off that pool talent you've been bragging about. You said to meet you here at ten, so…"

Stefan smiled, his eyes a pleading 'thank you'.

"Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt," Alaric replied, a sheepish smile on your face. "Of course," he gestured to the pool table. "Be safe guys, alright? Don't do anything stupid."

Matt smiled. "Course Mr. S."

Stefan finished the last bit of his coffee before getting up from the table. "See you Monday, Mr. Saltzman," Stefan replied, clamping his hand over the teacher's shoulder.

Matt and Stefan retreated to the open pool table on the opposite side of the Mystic Grill and Stefan smiled. "Thanks, Matt. You didn't have to do that."

Matt shrugged. "I know how the guy likes to talk. You'd probably end up sitting there for three hours chatting about FDR and the New Deal. And who wants to be stuck doing that on a Saturday?"

Stefan shook his head. "I owe you one."

"No big deal." Matt racked the balls on the billiard table and lifted the plastic triangle from the table, gesturing to the pool cues behind Stefan, who was apparently meant to go first in their pool game.

Stefan took the first shot, sinking two solid balls. He would have to play a little sloppy this game. It wouldn't be like playing with Lexi whose reflexes were far superior to his own. "Guess I'm solids," he said quietly, stepping a few paces backward to lean against the wall while Matt took his shot.

"So, Tyler left?" Stefan questioned curiously.

Matt shrugged. "Yeah, some drunk college girl looking for a booty call. I feel like I don't even know the guy anymore; he's been all over the place lately."

Stefan hadn't gotten to know Tyler very well, but drunken booty calls did seem to be something that he favored. "And your new… friend…?" Stefan questioned, attempting to tread lightly on the Caroline subject while still making casual conversation.

"Oh not you too," Matt said, taking his shot and blushing just the tiniest bit. Stefan could hear Matt's heart rate pick up at the mention of her. "We're just friends. At least, I'm trying to be friends with her. Who knows, girls are crazy."

_You can say that again_, Stefan thought. _Elena…_

"Oh, I know," Stefan replied, quickly recovering. "I'm just surprised she's not here. Usually her and Bonnie and Elena have dinner here on Saturdays."

"Well," Matt began. "I wouldn't know, except in her drunken haze last night, Caroline warned me not to call her tonight because she was going out to a party with her girlfriends to meet all sorts of college men." He sighed. "But I know Bonnie and Elena will look out for her."

Stefan's brow furrowed. "Bonnie, Elena and Caroline went to a college party tonight?" It sounded like Caroline, definitely. But somehow he couldn't picture Bonnie and Elena going through with it.

Matt nodded. "Already got a drunk-text from Caroline." _Telling me she missed me_, he thought, refusing to add that part.

* * *

The party was in full swing and Caroline and Elena had already found themselves on the makeshift dance floor with drinks in their hands. Bonnie hung back around the perimeter of the place, sipping at her first beer with slow resolution. She watched them twirl and shake their butts in rhythm with the hip-hop song blaring in her ears. Bonnie smiled as Elena met her eyes and waved at her from the middle of the floor. A tall guy snaked an arm around her midsection and turned her around to face him. Elena laughed and finished the contents of the plastic cup in her hand. Caroline took the empty cup from her and whispered something in her ear before disappearing from the dance floor. She danced her way over to Bonnie.

"Hey little wallflower, what are you doing here all by yourself?"

Bonnie shrugged. "Watching you two get felt up by complete strangers."

Caroline shook her head and lifted Bonnie's hand above her head before pushing her around in a circle. "Come on Bonnie… loosen up, have some fun."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "I'm having fun. I just prefer to show it differently than you do."

"Always the party pooper," Caroline cried. She kissed Bonnie on the cheek and then skipped off to the drink table to ladle some red punch into hers and Elena's cups. She took a sip and her eyes bugged out just the smallest bit at the amount of alcohol in the mixture and then grinned, quickly finding Elena again in the middle of the dance floor. The guy that had been dancing with Elena scooted between the two girls and danced with them both, his smile growing into a grin. Caroline giggled and 'toasted' with Elena before taking a large sip from the Solo cup.

"I think he likes you," Caroline giggled secretively in Elena's ear, gesturing to the man grinding on Elena. Elena shook her head and took a long sip of her own drink, finding herself lost in the swaying of the crowd and the constant thrumming of the music in her ears. She twirled and twisted until her thoughts of Damon and Stefan and vampires dissipated from her mind.

And then, a strong arm wrapped tightly around her, intimately. Her thoughts immediately flew to Damon and she smiled, turning around to face the man behind her. Her brow pulled down into a confused frown when the face that her eyes fell on was not anyone that she recognized.

"At long last, ma chere," he cooed quietly into her ear.

"A French-man?" She giggled, wrapping an arm around his neck as they danced closer and closer. "How… adorable," she added the last word with French inflections.

"Mais pas simplement tout Français, mon amour," the man replied, his fingers running through her hair, over her face, along her curves until she no longer felt comfortable with the personal way he seemed to know her.

Elena's mind struggled to convert the phrase back into English with the broken grammar she could recall from her French classes in school. _But not just any French-man, my love._

"I'm sorry," Elena said, pushing away from him. "I think you have me confused with someone else."

The man moved with her, staying close and brushed her cheek with his hand. "I think that after one hundred and fifty years of dreaming of you, I would recognize you anywhere. I can't believe you're acting this way, my love."

Elena gawked. One hundred and fifty years? This man was a… a… and her friendly, neighborhood protectors were nowhere to be seen and she was coming face to face with a vampire who knew her?

"I'm sorry," Elena replied, shaking her head and releasing herself from the mans grasp. "I have to go."

"Katherine, wait!"

Elena stopped dead in her tracks. It wasn't so much a matter of the name, because it was common enough. But a vampire using that name on her was another issue all together. She turned around. "Listen buddy, I don't know what kind of drugs you're taking," she slurred unnecessarily, trying to make herself seem more drunk than she was. "But I am definitely not this Katherine person." She leaned in closer. "My name's Elena."

The man met her gaze curiously and then strained his ears, hearing the faint thrumming of her heartbeat and the gentle gurgle of the blood in her veins. "My, my…" he said breathlessly. "I am quite sorry, my darling." He seemed to be taken aback. "You look like an old friend of mine. In fact, you could be twins."

* * *

Bonnie slid further back against the wall and took another sip of her now-warm beer. Caroline and Elena had all but disappeared into the dark dance floor and Bonnie was getting ready to go find them and make sure they weren't finding themselves involved in too much trouble. She placed her cup down on the table in front of her and then stated making her way through the crowd.

"May I have this dance?" A man asked, interrupting her B-line for Caroline who she could finally see again, dancing in the center of the multitude of drunks on the floor.

"Uh, no. I'm actually just leaving." Bonnie met Caroline's eyes, who gave her a major thumbs up and a grin the size of Texas.

"Aww, come on now. You wouldn't want to disappoint a guy on his birthday would you? It's bad luck to refuse a request from the birthday-boy." He took her hand in his and wrapped his arm around her back sweeping her up into a waltz as the music slowed and a Snow Patrol song filtered through the speakers. Bonnie, who was thoroughly surprised at the dancing skills of her new partner smiled up at him, taking in for the first time the gorgeous face of her dancing partner.

"I'm Eric by the way," he smiled.

Bonnie blushed as her dark brown curls bounced. "Bonnie," she smiled back. "Bonnie Bennett."

He dipped her in a way she had only ever seen done in movies and her heart skipped a beat. "It's very nice to meet you, Bonnie Bennett." And she smiled at the way his voice saying her name made goose bumps appear on her skin.

* * *

Elena seethed. She was furious, on a warpath. She downed the rest of her drink and stumbled outside, toward the dark edge of trees behind the house. Not that she particularly wanted to be alone right now, especially knowing that there was a good possibility that there was a vampire inside that party with an eye on her because she looked like, Elena gulped, Katherine. But there was only one way to find out if the Katherine that man said she looked like was THE Katherine. And so, once she had gotten to the edge of the woods, Elena screamed.

"STEFAN!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, knowing that the music would keep anyone inside from hearing her. "DAMON!" she shouted just as loud, hoping that it wouldn't take long for at least one of them to respond.

And then, in the blink of an eye he sauntered from the woods. "I don't usually answer such barbaric calls," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I prefer the cell." He cocked a brow, circling Elena as she stared straight ahead into the woods, nostrils flaring and eyes a blaze. "But since it's you… I decided to make an exception."

"Damon," she flared. "This isn't funny. You… I need you to be honest with me."

He crossed his arms in front of him as he leaned up against the nearest tree. "Well, this is certainly not the welcome I was expecting."

"Do I look like Katherine?"

Damon's eyes narrowed as he met her gaze and his brows pulled together. "I don't know what you mean."

"Katherine. Your Katherine… yours and Stefan's Katherine. Come on Damon, don't play coy with me." Her jaw set and her hands went to her hips. And then the world started spinning the briefest bit and Damon's arms wrapped around her, pressing her tightly to his body.

"Easy there, kitten," he cooed. "How much did you have to drink tonight?"

Elena breathed in deeply, finding herself comforted by his scent. But she could not allow herself to lose sight of the reason she had called him here. "Damon, it isn't about that," she said, feeling like tears were going to well up at any moment. "A vampire… in the party…"

Damon tensed his hold on her, but didn't say anything. "He called me Katherine, Damon. He thought I was her…"

"Shhh, kitten." He soothed her. "Don't worry. Everything will be okay. I'll take care of it."

Elena struggled against him. "I don't want you to take care of it Damon. I want you to tell me the truth. Am I… do I look like her?"

Damon took a long moment before responding. He swallowed hard and pulled her back a fraction so he could look into her eyes. "Identical," he whispered.

* * *

A/N: Eep! So… Damon and Stefan's secret is revealed… A new vampire in town… And Bonnie with a guy. What WILL happen next? You'll have to stay tuned to find out!!! Reviews are the cheese to my macaroni. (in fact… that sounds good right now…) Leave me lots of love!


	11. First Cut is the Deepest pt 1

A/N: Okay, long author's note ahead… sorry. Also, I NEED to apologize for my loooongly overdue chapter update. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I hope I'm forgiven? ::peeks to see:: Review if you forgive me, please? On another note, as a thank you to everyone's patient waiting, I have decided to make this a double update, so yay! (yay, right?) I have one more quick thing I wanted to say based on the reviews from the last chapter, so please bear with me… and then onto the chapter goodness. Okay, sooooo…. While I do certainly love all of the suggestions it is (always) impossible to please everyone. And while I know (almost) everyone is reading this for the Damon/Elena interactions, I do have a broader story line than just that… so I apologize if some of you are suffering through the other parts. I will try to focus more on the Damon/Elena scenes, but they won't be the only ones involved. Just to be upfront, this is one of the less Delena-centric chapters. Next one will be better, I promise!!! As always, you are ALL so completely amazing and I LOVE all of the reviews. ^_^ (Whew, that was entirely too long. I promise to never do that to you again. And…. Cue tape…)

* * *

**First Cut Is The Deepest (Part 1)**

_The first cut is the deepest  
'cause when it comes to being lucky she's cursed _

First Cut Is the Deepest by Sheryl Crow

* * *

Bonnie was surprised how at ease she felt being twirled around the dance floor by the complete stranger who had just asked for a dance. Something about the way he looked at her made her think of Elena and Stefan together and she sighed in contentment when the stranger offered her a name, and asked for hers in return. Maybe, she thought briefly. Just maybe fairy tales do exist.

"I guess I should say 'happy birthday' before the clock strikes twelve," Bonnie smiled as she allowed the stranger to lead her from the dance floor after the slow song ended.

Eric raised a brow and leaned in closer. "I'm not Cinderella, you know, Miss Bennett. I won't turn into a pumpkin or anything after the stroke of midnight."

Bonnie giggled. "I didn't mean that… it's just, I am a pretty big believer in luck. So, happy birthday."

He smiled- a gorgeous, dazzling smile that made Bonnie breath hitch in her throat and her mouth hang agape. He placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her toward the drinks.

"Well then, I thank you." He poured a glassful of the punch and handed it to Bonnie, who looked skeptical.

"Look, if you're just trying to get me drunk and take me back to your room, I have to warn you… it's not going to happen. I have to drive my friends back to Mystic Falls tonight." Bonnie set the drink down and looked up into the grey-green eyes of the tall, mysterious man, wondering why on earth she was being so forward and up front with him when she rarely was with anyone else.

It shocked Bonnie when he laughed. But he did; letting out a long, hearty chuckle at her comment. "I guess as a frat brother, I deserved that…" he said, brushing a lone curl from her forehead. "But, this whole thing isn't really my scene. The boys of the house kind of go all out… you know, any excuse for a party. And I couldn't exactly bail when we're supposedly celebrating my birthday." He led her over to the couch and sat down. "In fact, I would much prefer to be at a coffee shop with a good book, or home watching a movie with a bottle of wine."

"Oh," was the only thing Bonnie could muster to reply. She felt foolish and childish for even assuming what she had in the first place. What a stupid high school girl she really was. Caroline would have known better; Caroline knew how to talk to guys in a way that Bonnie had always envied. She stared down at her hands, silently cursing herself for her horribly blunt way of talking to him. She should have known better; what was she thinking assuming that this guy was even interested in her that way?

"So, Bonnie, tell me… what is your scene exactly? You don't seem like the party type." His eyes, more grey now than green, were intent on her when she glanced up.

She had only caught every third word, but the way he looked at her made her curious about his motives once again. She cupped her hand to her ear and spoke a little louder than normal, "What? I can't hear you over the music."

He frowned for the briefest instant, and then pointed toward the front door before making a talking motion with his hand the way people usually do when someone is droning on. Bonnie's eyes lit up and she smiled, allowing him to lead her outside so that they could speak easier.

Once outside, Bonnie couldn't help but breathe in the cool, fresh evening air. Air that no longer smelled like cigarettes, marijuana and stale alcohol. Bonnie felt herself relax a little as she took a seat on the porch railing. In the moonlight, she was even more taken aback by how beautiful this man was. He looked like a marble statue in the blue-white glow of the moon and for the briefest second, she wondered why on earth he would be talking to her. Bonnie had never been one to capture men's attention the way Elena and Caroline did. Her best friends had a classic beauty that often made Bonnie think that they were every man's type without even trying. She found herself jealous of them far more often than she thought she should be, but now, standing here with Eric all of those memories faded into the distant inky black of the chilly night.

"So, this isn't your scene huh?" she asked doubtfully.

He shrugged. "Nah, I'm much more of a book worm than a playboy." He grinned again and Bonnie forced herself to recover more quickly than last time.

"I don't know," she said, eyeing him playfully. "Out of the whole group in there, I'd say you look like the biggest playboy of them all."

He moved swiftly, closing the distance between them in what felt like a fraction of a second until she could feel his breath on her face before he spoke. "Then I think you should give me the opportunity to prove you wrong," he whispered into her ear, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end until she shivered involuntarily.

* * *

Elena blinked, several times, attempting to force the word to take hold somewhere in her mind. Identical. Somehow the only thing that she could think of was learning the definition of the word in fourth grade. Identical. I-d-e-n-t-i-c-a-l: similar or alike in every way; being the very same. Even in her alcohol induced state her mind focused with pinpoint accuracy on that one word. Everything tumbled down around her but managed to stay in place; like the world had stopped spinning on its axis and shattered into a million pieces all at the same time. Nothing made sense- least of all the fact that she was apparently Katherine's doppelganger. The name rang through her head as pieces started to fall into place.

She gulped and found herself light headed. It was far too much to take in. "Is that why you… why Stefan…" She couldn't finish the sentence; hell she could barely finish the thought in her own head.

Damon's arm tightened around her and as much as she wanted to pull away, she knew she wanted to hear the answer more. She needed to know if her resemblance to Katherine was the only reason Stefan had dated her, the only reason Damon seemed the least bit interested in her for more than just a plaything. Unless that's all this was to him, a game; unless all she was to him was a toy that he could play with until he got Katherine back, because after all, wouldn't the doppelganger be the next best thing?

"I can't speak for Stefan's motives Elena," he said coolly, pulling her away just enough to look into her eyes. "But last night had nothing to do with the fact that you resemble Katherine. You are not Katherine, you are nothing like her."

"But it is why you're here…" she stated rather than questioned. "Why you both came here in the first place, isn't it?"

Damon didn't answer for a long moment, staring into the dark forest.

"You know what; I can't do this right now. Bonnie and Caroline are waiting for me." Elena scoffed and broke free of Damon's hold. She knew if he wanted to, he could keep her there. Obviously he had his own reasons for not wanting her around right then. Whatever it was, Elena didn't want to know; she found her way back inside and grabbed a drink, downing it quickly before searching out Caroline on the dance floor.

* * *

Stefan was finding himself letting loose the tiniest bit and actually having some fun as he and Matt shot pool. It reminded him of the last night with Lexi, and although the night had ended horribly, it was the first time in a long time that Stefan had felt free. It worried him, how he was never truly able to feel that way around Elena. Maybe it was due to the guilt he felt over not telling her about Katherine. It would only be a matter of time before Damon spilled the beans to her on a whim, or to do more damage to Stefan and Elena's already faltering relationship. At the very least, Elena would find out if Damon ever managed to break Katherine from the tomb, something that Stefan wasn't counting on, but couldn't rule out completely. Matt and Stefan finished their third game of billiards when Matt abruptly dropped his cue on the table and let out a sigh.

Stefan's forehead creased with worry, as it often did. "Everything alright?"

Matt rolled his eyes, holding up his phone. "It's Tyler," he chuckled. "College girl's boyfriend came home and he's too drunk to drive. Says he needs a ride back."

Stefan nodded in understanding. "Ahh," he replied, setting his own pool cue on the table.

"Want to come with me and drive Tyler's ride home so he has it tomorrow?"

Stefan weighed the options for a moment, and then resigned. "Yeah, I guess I can do that. Otherwise Mr. Saltzman might come looking for me again," he laughed quickly and then pulled his jacket off the chair and shrugged into it.

Matt laughed along with him. "True, and you do owe me one after all," he grinned and headed for the door.

Stefan followed him, knowing that this would be the perfect chance to talk to Matt about Mr. Saltzman and see if he knew anything about the strange happenings in Mystic Falls. There was only so much one person could see, even if that person was a vampire.

* * *

Bonnie couldn't help the giggle that erupted from her lips when Eric delivered the punch-line of a joke and the carefree ease that the conversation flowed made her cheeks flush and butterflies fill her stomach.

"So, what are you studying?"Eric asked her casually as they chatted on the porch.

Bonnie blushed so brightly that even in the darkness he could see. "Ummm… confession?"

Eric cocked a brow, something that Bonnie couldn't help but categorize under 'gorgeous'. "I knew it… finally, something wrong with you! It's not physical education is it? No, no, lemme guess… anthropology?"

Bonnie fidgeted nervously. "Well, I actually don't go to school here. I go to school in Mystic Falls… high school."

He smirked. "Ahh, got a taste for the older men, huh?"

Bonnie shook her head and shrugged. "Not exactly. I was kind of brought here against my will by my two best friends." She leaned in closer to whisper, "they're a little boy crazy…" She rolled her eyes, feigning annoyance.

"I see. Well then, I'll have to find them and thank them for dragging you here. I wasn't expecting to have such a good time tonight." Bonnie blushed again. She couldn't help but notice how his eyes twinkled when she did. Did that mean he liked it?

"Me either," she said wistfully. Bonnie pulled out her phone and looked at the time. "Crap. I really need to go. I wasn't expecting to be away from them so long… and well, they don't generally stay of the right mind to make decisions." Well that was true for Caroline anyway, and who knew what Elena was up to at this point.

He nodded. "I know the 'protector' mode well. I will let you get back to your friends on one condition."

Bonnie folded her arms over her chest faking defiance. "Oh? And what might that be?"

Eric smiled that heart-piercing smile again and Bonnie felt herself melt a little. "You have to let me take you out; somewhere real where we can talk."

Bonnie smiled shyly, wondering if this was how Caroline and Elena felt all the time. If it was, she could certainly get used to it.

* * *

Elena swiftly moved back into the house, resisting the urge to turn around and look back at Damon. She could feel his eyes on her, burning holes in her clothes. That thought sent strange shocks of pleasure through her and she bit back a smile. Not after tonight; not after learning the truth about Katherine and the Salvatore brothers. It was one thing to be in the middle of a love triangle with two brothers. It was a very different thing indeed to re-live a love triangle a century and a half old- especially when she could be the first girl's twin. And nothing could get her to forgive them now. Nothing.

Elena was sure she would never be able to recount what happened in the next few moments because of how quickly it all occurred. She had been searching through the house for Caroline, who had managed to disappear from the dance floor and was nowhere to be seen in the whole downstairs. Beginning to feel panicked, Elena quickly made her way upstairs and began opening doors.

What first appeared to be an innocent make-out session on a bed that belonged to neither Caroline nor the man that was on top of her, quickly turned into the scene of horror when Elena saw the frightened horror on her friends face. It was only when she hissed a string full of obscenities and the man lifted his face from Caroline's neck that she saw the bloody mess all over the bed.

"OMIGOD CAROLINE!" Elena yelled, running toward the bed. She knew full well there was nothing she could do against a vampire, but this was one of her best friends and impulse won the quick battle over rationale and she was by Caroline's side in an instant.

The vampire slapped her away and she was thrown into the opposite wall with a loud thud, knocking a bookcase from against the wall. It tumbled down on top of her and it took Elena a long moment before she was able to move. And even then the book case was far too heavy for Elena to pull off of herself. She laid there, watching helplessly as Caroline continued to squirm and fight against the vampire who was quickly draining her blood.

And then, in the blink of an eye, the vampire was thrown into the wall and Caroline was being cradled by new, strong hands.

Elena breathed one word in a deep sigh of relief. "Damon…"

* * *

A/N: Unnecessary cliffie… I know. BUT… no need to fret, head on over to chapter 12 and see what happens next! I promised back to back updates after all! Oh, but don't forget to review ;) Love each and every one of you!


	12. First Cut is the Deepest pt 2

A/N: Thank you all so much for your continued support. I appreciate it more than words can express. And now… part two!

* * *

**First Cut Is The Deepest (Part 2)**

_I still want you by my side  
just to help me dry the tears that I've cried  
cause I'm sure gonna give you a try _

First Cut Is the Deepest by Sheryl Crow

* * *

Stefan and Matt had just arrived on campus to pick up Tyler; Stefan stepped out of the car and could immediately feel the tension in the air. It was like a current of electricity, silent and invisible but clearly coursing through the night sky. Stefan felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up when he heard Elena's scream. He would know the sound of it anywhere. Her particular timbre was something that would be ingrained in him forever.

"Elena," he whispered. He turned to look at Matt, who was heading for the dormitory building across the parking lot. "Matt!" He called. "I'll be right back!" Stefan took off into the night and headed toward where he had heard Elena's voice. Once he was a safe distance away from Matt, he super-sped over to the frat house and quickly made his way up the stairs and into the bedroom.

His eyes scanned the room quickly and took in the scene before him. Caroline on the bed, covered in blood, Damon on the opposite end of the room, and Elena stuck under a book case near the closet.

"What have you done?!" he growled, rushing to Elena's side and pulling the book case off of her, quickly scanning for broken bones or deep cuts.

"Cool your jets, Sparky," Damon replied, rolling his eyes. "I pulled the vampire off of her that was draining her."

Elena, who had finally regained enough strength to sit up on her own accord, but still breathing heavily held up her hand. "Help… her…." she panted.

Both brothers' eyes quickly went to Caroline, who was beginning to gurgle and cough up blood, spewing it onto her new shirt and the bed beneath her.

"Please," Elena coughed, trying to move toward her friend. "Save her…"

Damon was the first to react, quickly biting at the flesh on his wrist until crimson liquid oozed from the wound. He held his wrist to Caroline's mouth, pulling her head up to help her swallow as much blood as she could.

Stefan's left hand remained on Elena's back, and his other took her hand to help her to her feet making sure to keep her steady.

"Elena, are you alright?" He asked, holding her gently, as if she might break into pieces there in his arms.

"I'm fine," she answered, shrugging him off and dropping herself onto the bed beside Caroline. Elena ran her fingers through her friend's hair. "Is she going to be alright?" Elena asked seriously, looking Damon in the eye.

"So long as she doesn't have to drink me dry to heal, she'll be fine," Damon answered automatically, no hint of attitude or mockery.

"Don't worry Elena, Caroline will be just fine," Stefan agreed. "Now who was this 'other vampire' that attacked her?"

Elena shrugged. "I don't know who he was."

"I never saw his face," Damon added coolly.

Elena's attention went back to Caroline, who was finally starting to come around. Damon pulled his hand away from her face and shallow moans escaped her lips. She coughed a few times and then slowly sat up, taking in the scene around her. It took her a long moment before she could say anything, and Elena realized that she was holding her breath until her friend spoke.

"I swear to God, if one more effing vampire…"

Damon raised a brow. "This effing vampire just saved your life."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "There's a first," she spat back. "What happened to 'it would truly be a shame to end the life of such a beautiful girl'?"

Damon shook his head and pointed to her and then to himself. "Water, bridge." He arched a brow. "Can't we let bygones be bygones? I did just save your life after all."

Stefan sighed. "Enough. Can we get to the deeper issue, please? Damon, what the hell are you doing here?"

Damon made a face. "THAT'S the deeper issue? You sure you've got your priorities straight?"

Elena scoffed at the arguing brothers. "Can we _please_ get out of here? This place really isn't the ideal locale for this discussion."

Caroline attempted to stand, grabbing Elena's hand to steady herself up. "I second that motion. We need to get Bonnie and get the hell home."

Stefan's eyes went wide. "Bonnie is still here somewhere?"

Caroline nodded, "Off flirting with some hottie downstairs." And then she collapsed back down onto the bed.

* * *

Eric placed a chaste kiss on Bonnie's forehead. She had just written her number down on a piece of paper for him and he slipped it into his pocket, twisting their fingers around each other until they joined seamlessly together.

"Your hands…" she murmured quietly. "They're freezing."

He smiled. "You know what they say, cold hands-warm heart."

Bonnie grinned. "I have heard that." She brought their hands up and quickly kissed the back of his hand before releasing her grip on him. "I really do have to get going though. I need to check on my friends."

Eric nodded and led her back into the house. "I'll see you soon then, Miss Bennett," he whispered in her ear, giving her goosebumps once again.

Stefan grabbed ahold of Bonnie's arm as soon as he spotted her. "Bonnie, thank god, there you are."

"Stefan?"

Eric looked just as surprised as Bonnie was. "I thought you came with your girlfriends?"

Bonnie shook her head, trying to ease the confusion. "I did. This is another friend of mine. And it's… totally unexpected that _you're here Stefan,_" she emphasized through gritted teeth.

Stefan shrugged. "I actually came with Matt… he needed to pick up Tyler. Long story."

Bonnie nodded. "Stefan, this is Eric." She smiled brightly. "Eric, this is my friend Stefan."

Both men nodded in acknowledgement of each other and Stefan gave a grim smile. "Can you excuse us for a quick second?" Stefan asked, pulling Bonnie a few inches away. He lowered his tone to a hushed whisper and added only for her, "Something happened with Caroline. Damon is upstairs with the girls right now, but we really need to get them back to Mystic Falls."

Bonnie's face went from one of adoration for Eric to horrified anguish in a split second. "Oh my god! I knew it! I should have never let them out of my sight."

Stefan's brow furrowed. "You knew what?"

Bonnie shook her head. "Just had a bad feeling that something was going to happen tonight. I went against my better judgment leaving them alone."

Stefan's face softened. "Well, Caroline's in pretty bad shape. She really needs some rest. They can tell you what happened later, but for now, we really just need to get out of here."

Bonnie gulped and turned back to Eric. He gave her a quick smile as he closed the distance between the two of them. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Protector mode calls," she smiled touched his arm gently, before turning back and following Stefan upstairs.

* * *

Tyler Lockwood stumbled down from the landing outside of the dormitory building marked _Stockford_. Matt reached him just before Tyler tripped and caught him from hitting his head on the concrete stairs.

"Whoa," Matt said, grabbing Tyler by the back of his jacket and leaning him against the railing. "Slow down there, Lockwood."

"Blah, blah, blah… you're such a goodie two shoes Donovan. You need some spice in your life. Some fire… and you're certainly not going to get it with Caroline Forbes."

Matt shook his head. "Enough of that, alright? I don't need flack from my boy. Especially not when you're drunk off your ass. Now let's get you home."

"…should have seen this girl Matt. On a scale of one to ten she was like… well, definitely the hottest girl I've ever been with." He chuckled. "Barely got the schtick in when that douche showed up… all these chicks cheat on their guys with me…. Don't fuckin' get it, man."

Matt gave Tyler a few hard pats on the back as he led his friend down the stairs. "Me either, dude… me either."

Tyler laughed again. "You wish you'd get that lucky with a college chick."

"You got me," Matt replied dryly. He leaned Tyler against the truck as he opened the door. He helped Tyler inside, groaning. "… would be so much easier with the help I thought I was gunna get…"

"What are you talking about dude? I'm fine on my own."

"Uh huh. Well, gimme your keys at least so I can get your ride home."

Tyler narrowed his eyes. "How do you plan on that, Houdini? You want me to take the truck?"

"Hell no." Then Matt ginned. "Stefan's going to drive your car home."

Matt's smile broadened as the words sunk into Tyler's thick skull. "Oh _HELL NO_," Tyler blurted out. "Don't even think…"

But Matt closed the door, leaving Tyler to complain to himself from inside the cab of the truck.

"If he ever shows up…" Matt finished under his breath, looking out into the darkness.

* * *

Elena went into the closet in the frat room and pulled out a men's button-down dress shirt, helping Caroline put it on to cover the blood stains on her own shirt. Damon stood off in the shadows of the room, concealing himself for the most part in the darkness. Elena glanced at him every few seconds, wondering what was going through his head. Elena disappeared into the bathroom and reemerged a few moments later with a wet washcloth, trying to get as much of the dried blood off of her friend as possible before they left the party.

Both girls jumped when the door opened and Stefan came back in with Bonnie in tow. She rushed to the bedside where her friends were and pulled them both into a tight hug. Her panicked eyes searched both girls for injuries. "What happened?!"

"Vampire…" Elena said quietly, under her breath, looking between Stefan and Damon.

"Did he…" Bonnie asked quickly and accusingly, glaring over her shoulder at Damon.

Elena shook her head quickly. "Damon saved her. The other one… we don't know who it was… he drained Caroline of almost all her blood. If it weren't for Damon…" Elena squeezed Caroline's hand gently and Bonnie tightened her grip on both girls.

"I don't want to be here anymore…" Caroline whimpered, tears silently rolling down her sheet-white cheeks.

Stefan spoke up. "It's not safe here. We need to get you back to Mystic Falls. Somewhere they can't get you."

"But how can you be sure?" Caroline asked.

Elena stroked Caroline's hair, brushing it away from her face. "They have to be invited in. We should go to my house… no one has been there except everyone that we already know are only human. Besides, Jenna won't mind Stefan and Damon being there as much as anyone else's parents would. And we need to get you into something actually clean, instead of just covered up."

Bonnie nodded. "I'll call my dad and Caroline's mom on our way over there… let them know we're spending the night."

"I think that is the best idea right now," Stefan added, his eyes darting quickly to Damon, who was still standing silent and completely still in the corner. "I'll ride with you to make sure…" And then he remembered Matt. "Shoot… I actually have something I need to take care of. Damon, could you?"

Damon shook his head. "I don't play babysitter, little brother. You should know better than that. I only play doctor."

Elena looked at Damon with pleading eyes. He could tell she was still obviously shaken.

"Damon please," Stefan pleaded.

The older brother sighed with resignation. "I suppose I could make an exception. Just this once."

Elena mouthed a silent 'thank you' and began helping Caroline up off the bed for the second time. Damon scooped Caroline up into his arms and then jumped out the back second story window, landing firmly on his feet.

"I don't have all night," he called over his shoulder at the spectators above him who began clamoring to keep up with him.

"I'll meet you back at your house, alright?" Stefan asked Elena before parting ways on the front porch of the frat house.

Elena shrugged. "Yeah, that's fine. See ya there."

Stefan sighed and quickly made his way back across campus where Matt was leaning against his truck.

"Sorry, hope I didn't keep you waiting long," he apologized, crossing the parking lot to where the truck was at.

"Just got him in actually."

"Matt! I told you he wasn't driving my baby!" Tyler yelled, pounding on the passenger window.

Matt turned back to look at him and smiled. "You lost the right to make that decision when you drank yourself into a stupor and called me for a ride home. Now, do you want your car in your driveway tomorrow morning or not?"

Tyler narrowed his eyes. "If he's driving, NOT."

Matt shrugged. "Alright, maybe I'll go get your booty call's boyfriend to do it."

Tyler flipped Matt the bird and crossed his arms over his chest in a huff.

Matt smiled and tossed Stefan the keys. "Have fun," he grinned and walked around the truck and got in, starting the engine and closing the door.

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Yeah… you too…" he replied quietly.

* * *

By process of elimination, AKA Caroline calling shotgun about forty times before they had gotten to the car, Elena ended up in the back seat with Damon. Under normal circumstances, she might have been a little more excited about it. But right now, with all of the events of the last hour, Elena really couldn't process her feelings enough to know how she should be feeling. She was emotionally exhausted and all she really wanted to do was have one good long cry over the whole thing. But she wasn't going to do that here and now. She needed to be strong for Caroline and for Bonnie, and there was no way she was going to get all upset in front of Damon.

"So what were you doing on campus?" Caroline sneered from the front seat. "Did you send your friend after me?"

Damon scoffed. "As if you're actually that worth it," he muttered under his breath. Only Elena heard him. She placed her hand gently over his in an attempt to quiet him and he felt an immediate calm at her touch. One he didn't like at all. In fact, it made the anger swell in him even more that she would have such an effect on him. But he felt completely incapable of acting on that feeling, especially since he really didn't even want to do anything about it.

Elena scooted a few inches closer to him, pulling her head onto his chest and pulling his arm around her.

"So you forgive me now?" he whispered quietly into her ear.

"You saved my friend tonight," she whispered back, low enough for only him to hear. "For now, that's all I really care about. We can figure everything else out later."

Damon tightened his arm around her, nuzzling his face into her perfectly scented hair as floods of memories and emotions of the night before filled his head. And, for a brief moment, Damon forgot all about Katherine and the tomb and found himself content in the moment with a human girl snuggled into his chest. His prize for saving the day. And for that brief moment, Damon wondered if being good really was such a bad thing after all.

* * *

A/N: So… I know it was a super sappy ending for that chapter. Sorry… I was in a super sappy mood, so I let Damon have a bit of a sentimental moment. Don't shoot me? There's still more thrills and chills and twists and turns to come. Stay tuned. And please, pretty please… review for me? ;) Thanks lovelies.


	13. Holding My Heart

A/N: Please don't kill me. I promise I am attempting to write as often as I can. My muse has been hiding on me lately. (I think it's in petition of my new job, which keeps me away from my computer for long hours.) Regardless, here is the update of the week and I promise to try to get them up in more frequent intervals if for no other reason than to keep you all from revolting. On with the show!

* * *

**Holding My Heart**

_What am I doing here, if you're not with me?  
What have I got to live for, if it's just my own dream?  
Take it back to the beginning, back to the start  
When gravity's pulling, you're still holding my heart_

Crashing Down by Matt Kearney

* * *

Elena was thoroughly relieved to find that Jenna was out when she returned to the house with Bonnie, Caroline and Damon. A brief thought ran through her head concerning Jenna and Mr. Saltzman, but she quickly dismissed it to focus on getting Caroline into clean clothes and tucked into Elena's bed. It was obvious that Caroline needed rest, even if Damon's blood had healed her; she was still visibly shaken from what had happened and no one had thought to erase the incident from her mind. Although now that Elena was thinking about it, that might not be the worst idea in the world.

Bonnie stayed with Caroline as Elena closed the door quietly and sat on the top stair. Damon leaned against the railing of the stairs, watching her.

"She really is going to be alright," he said quietly.

Elena sighed. "Just because she is going to be alright doesn't change what happened to her," she whispered back. "If you hadn't still been there… if you had left…"

"But I didn't."

"You could have. And I would be…" She broke of mid-sentence, unable to finish the thought. A quiet sob escaped her lips, although she had vowed not to let it until she was alone.

Damon sat down beside her and lifted her face to meet her eyes. "Nothing would ever happen to you, Elena. I wouldn't let it."

"Why are you doing this?" She asked quietly, confused by the gentle and careful way he was acting around her.

He rolled his eyes. "Despite what Stefan says about me, I am not completely devoid of feeling."

Elena smiled. "I already found that out last night…"

Damon smirked. "Atta girl."

Elena quickly became somber again, losing herself in thought for a brief moment before speaking. "You're very different around me… than Stefan I mean."

He shrugged. "I find you far more attractive." He nudged her gently and helped her to her feet. "Now no more of that pouting. I want to see that spark in you again."

She raised a brow. "Even if it's aimed toward you? We still haven't discussed the Katherine thing."

He smiled smugly. "I think I can handle your wrath."

"You underestimate me, Mr. Salvatore."

He feigned innocence. "Me? Never."

Elena looked back toward her closed bedroom door. "I think I should go check on them. You should go lay down on the couch. I know tonight took a lot out of you."

"Correction, Caroline took a lot out of me."

Elena sighed. "But she's safe and alive… and so are you… and that's all that matters."

"For now…" he forebode.

"For now," Elena agreed. And then she disappeared into her room and quietly shut the door behind her.

* * *

"Elena told me…" Bonnie admitted quietly, stroking Caroline's newly washed hair as the two of them laid in Elena's bed. The two girls were discussing vampires and how they came to be in Mystic Falls. More accurately, how each of them learned the truth about the Salvatore brothers.

"I had no idea there were so many of them out there…" Caroline bemused. "I mean, I knew Stefan and Damon, but I thought it was a rare thing. I didn't expect them to be showing up at parties like that."

"I have a feeling they are here for something. And I have an even worse feeling that I know what it is."

Caroline sat up and looked Bonnie in the eye. "You have to tell me…"

Bonnie shook her head. It had been a standing pact between Elena and Bonnie that neither would discuss the tomb of vampires hidden beneath their small town or any possible way to get into it. As far as she knew, Bonnie had destroyed the only entrance when Emily had inhabited her. She idly wondered if the vampire going after Caroline had anything at all to do with that. It seemed almost too coincidental that the events should occur so close together. But how would any other vampire know that it was her? Did word in that community really travel so fast? Would she ever find herself safe again?

Her mind was running rampant with possibilities when Elena silently entered and closed the door behind her. She padded quietly to the bedside and sat down, looking at her two best friends.

"Are you both alright?" Elena asked searching their faces for any sign of distress. Bonnie could tell that Elena was worn out both mentally and emotionally and she couldn't help but wonder if it was because of the spell.

Bonnie nodded silently.

"Just tired…" Caroline admitted. "But still kind of scared… I mean what if he comes after me again…"

Elena shook her head. "Damon is still here. And Stefan will be back soon. They are going to protect us."

Bonnie's gaze dropped to her hands, which were nervously pulling at the fray on the bottom of her jeans. "I think I know why he went after Caroline…" her words were so low Elena had to strain to make them out. She could see the heartbreak written all over Bonnie's face.

* * *

Everything was finally starting to sink in as Elena closed her bedroom door and made her way downstairs, where she pulled out a glass from the cupboard and filled it with tap water. And then she stared at it, realizing for the first time how badly her hands were shaking. And there were feelings and emotions swirling around in her head and heart and everything just felt so… bizarre. Like the earth was spinning backwards. For the first time in two days she found her thoughts lingering on Stefan and the way he had helped her. That caring, concerned look in his eyes when he pulled the book case off of her. The panic-stricken tone of his voice that made her realize that his feelings for her were still deep. Something little that caused her heart to jump and drop all at the same time. But the pain still lingered over learning the truth about Katherine. Not just anger and pain directed towards Stefan, but Damon as well. Both of them had kept the secret from her. And that made this whole thing that much more confusing.

It was like a veil had been lifted from her eyes and all of her feelings for Stefan from three days ago were there again. But now they were met with equally strong and possibly more fierce feelings for Damon. How could she be so stupid to fall in love with both of them? God, how could this day possibly get _any worse?_

Elena could hear Damon in the living room, arguing with someone. "Why does it matter what I was doing there? I saved her. I saved both of them and you're yelling at me?!"

Elena shivered. It was Stefan. And apparently he had called Damon's cell phone on his way over to Elena's house.

"That's not the point Damon."

Elena's blood ran cold. She hadn't noticed that Stefan had been in the house when she came down the stairs. Was she really that out of it? She found herself moving silently to the back corner of the kitchen to hear what they were talking about without being seen.

"Then what is the point? You think I'm trying to steal your position as town vigilante? I promise you, that is not even in the realm of possibilities."

"That's not funny Damon. I want to know what you're doing hanging around Elena."

There was a pause. "She called for me. Asked about Katherine. As far as I could gather someone at the party assumed that's who she was."

"Oh god…" the words were under his breath but Elena could still hear them. She slumped against the cabinet in the kitchen, feeling herself go weak in the knees again. She wasn't sure how many more blows she could take tonight. "What did you tell her?"

"The truth. Something you've never been able to do."

"And?"

"And she was pissed as shit, what do you expect? That's not news that a girl like Elena is going to take lying down." And she could practically _hear_ his smirk at that. "I stuck around because I didn't want the vampire going after her once he learned she was human. Like you did." Damon practically spat.

Stefan made a noise at that; something crossed between a growl and a hiss that caused Elena to wonder if they were going to brawl right then and there in her living room. She stayed silent though, wondering what else Damon was willing to give away.

"That's not fair!" Stefan growled. "I have been protecting her!"

"She's a big girl Stefan. She can protect herself."

"Not against us Damon. You know that there are others out there."

"She seems to be doing just fine without you, little brother."

"Her best friend almost died tonight! How is that fine?"

There was another pause. "You're right. Caroline did almost die tonight. And where were you? How were you protecting either of them? Once that vampire was done with Caroline it would have turned on Elena; she was bleeding all over the place from that bookcase falling on her. You know what her blood smells like. He would have never been able to resist."

Elena could picture Stefan now. Hands bawled into fists and jaw clenched tightly as his teeth ground together. She could only imagine what he was thinking about doing to Damon.

"You're done here," Stefan said after a long pause. His voice was restrained, but Elena could hear the seething anger under the surface of his tone.

"I am not leaving until Elena asks me to. In case you hadn't noticed, you're the only one she doesn't want to be around lately."

Elena gulped. That was it. She had let it go on long enough.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Stefan asked harshly.

Elena walked swiftly into the room, heart pounding and eyes bouncing between both brothers. Her heart was torn. How could she have been in love with Stefan alone up until two days ago? And how could she have been smitten with Damon alone for the past few days? And why were all of her feelings melding into one another now?

"No one is leaving. Understood? I need you both here. So let's just work on our tolerance, alright boys?"

"Elena…" Stefan's voiced was quiet and her name sounded almost revered.

"Listen," she answered quickly. "We've all got major issues we want to discuss right now, but none of that is going to keep Bonnie and Caroline safe. And right now, that's all I am worried about. So can we please focus on that?"

Stefan took a step back.

"Who died and made you boss?" Damon asked, ticking up a brow.

"You did," Elena retorted with a smirk. "Besides, I'm the only one that knows what the guy looks like." She sighed. "The one that attacked Caroline… it was the same guy that called me Katherine." She held up her hand, looking at Stefan, and his apologetic demeanor. "And no, I don't want to talk about that right now. You can apologize later."

Damon grinned.

Elena turned and looked at him. "And don't think you're getting off the hook either. Just because you saved Caroline doesn't give you a free pass. We _will_ discuss everything later on. But right now the **three** of us need to figure out who the vampire was that attacked Caroline and thought I was Katherine."

Damon's smile faded and he pointed to himself. "Doesn't work well with others."

"Well learn," Elena replied solemnly. "You're already involved in this. You're not taking the easy way out now."

"You better watch your tone, kitten," Damon shot back, taking a step toward her and invading her personal space.

Stefan stepped forward in tandem and grabbed Damon's arm. "Don't touch her."

"You get no further say in that, little brother." His eyes darkened and he leaned in closer to Elena. "Isn't that right, Elena?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Not now."

"What is going on here?" Stefan asked, looking between the two of them.

Damon grazed Elena's cheek with his thumb and his eyes darkened even more, an evil glint appearing. Stefan growled his obvious disapproval of the intimate way his brother was touching her.

"I think we should tell him," Damon said with a smile.

"Tell me what?" Stefan's voice was impatient now; frantic and upset.

Elena's glare hardened on Damon and she swallowed hard. Had it been yesterday, somehow she would have had no problems telling Stefan about her and Damon. But now it seemed wrong and heartless. How had things changed so drastically?

"Listen," Elena said, cautiously. "Over the last couple of days… I have been feeling… well… different. Mostly, well for lack of a better word- apathetic… about you and I. Which is why I said what I did the other morning."

"Aaaand…" Damon prompted.

Her eyes flew to Damon, who was enjoying this far more than he should have been. "And I think… I mean I know… that I have had this intense, mysterious pull toward Damon the past few days." There was a pause, and the room was so quiet that Elena wondered if they were both merely listening to the ever-quickening pace of her heart.

"I have feelings for him. Although for the life of me, right now I can't figure out why." She glared at Damon darkly. "Do you really have to be such an ass all the time? I mean seriously, I know you take some dark pleasure in hurting Stefan, but I really don't. This isn't something that I wanted to do. I didn't expect this." She turned back to Stefan. "And I don't want to hurt you… especially because now everything is different. It was like my feelings for you were just..." she paused. "Mysteriously gone or something for a few days. I can't explain it." She stopped long enough to look into his completely broken and defeated face.

"History repeating…" Stefan said quietly. "You were trying to tell me…" he said to Damon.

"God, Stefan. I really didn't mean for this to happen… I don't know why I have these feelings, or why they came on so strongly."

"Maybe I'm just that good…" Damon whispered.

Elena elbowed him quickly in the gut. Even if it didn't hurt him, it would at least get the point across.

A throat clearing from the bottom of the staircase caught all of their attention and all three swiftly turned their attention in that direction.

"I think I have some explaining to do…" Bonnie said quietly, positioning the railing of the stairs between herself and the other three as if to protect herself from them.

* * *

A/N: Sooo… what does everyone think so far? I needed some suspense. Loved it? Hated it? Review and let me know! Thanks lovelies.


	14. War Between the Vanities

A/N: To all of my amazing, faithful readers: Don't lose hope. I promise that you shall not be disappointed. I will not undo everything now that the spell has worn off of Elena. Damon is not going anywhere. Stefan is truly not destined for Elena (not in THIS story anyway.) Stick it out, I promise to make it worth your while. Thanks lovelies.

---

**War Between the Vanities**

_And right now there's a war between the vanities  
But all I see is you and me  
The fight for you is all I've ever known  
So come home…_  
Come Home by OneRepublic

---

Elena had made up the guest bedroom. It had originally been a place intended for sleep for whoever might need it- namely Stefan or Damon since Jenna obviously wouldn't allow either of them to sleep with the girls that night. But two hours after Bonnie had explained the spell she had cast on Caroline- the spell that had also been cast on Elena, the young Gilbert girl found herself locked in the room alone with only her thoughts as company. She had refused to allow anyone passage into the room, although several had knocked multiple times. Elena felt used and betrayed and more alone than ever. That her friend had put a spell on her had never occurred to Elena as the reasoning behind her feelings for Damon- but now that it was staring her in the face, she could no longer deny it.

And finally, all of the pieces fit together the way they should. The reason that her feelings for Stefan disappeared so mysteriously just when she was getting ready to tell him not to leave. It also explained why she had been so willing to… she cringed… hop into bed with Damon.

Oh god. She had lost her virginity to her ex-boyfriends 'evil' vampire brother. That had to be some sort of new personal low. But it didn't feel that way.

In fact, she didn't regret anything that had transpired between herself and Damon. As much as she thought about going running back into Stefan's ever-present arms, there was just no way to do that anymore. Her feelings for Damon were real and she could no longer deny them the way she may have a week ago. And, the more she thought about it, the less she wanted to deny her feelings for Damon. True, she had been under Bonnie's mystic feeling removal spell, but it had opened her eyes to something she had been hiding from for so long. Without Stefan as a roadblock, she had been able to explore her 'darker' side, along with her attraction toward the elder Salvatore. To say that she was Katherine all over again seemed redundant, but right now, she truly felt that way.

There was something mysterious about what drew her to each of the brothers. There was Stefan, who was kind and considerate. He never did anything without thinking about the repercussions first and he truly cared about her. And then there was Damon. The elder Salvatore was deep and passionate. He brought with him a sense of danger and excitement. And although he never explained that he would protect her no matter what, he had proven it on several occasions. He made her laugh and beyond his constant sarcastic jokes, Elena was finally beginning to discover something real.

As much as Elena chastised herself for doing exactly what Katherine had done one hundred and fifty years ago, she was not going to allow herself to befall the same fate. She would not continue to lead them both on in hopes that they could all be one big happy family. She wasn't that naïve or selfish to think that it could work out that way. Elena knew better. This begot the hardest part. Deciding whether or not she was going to choose one and break the others heart, or whether she was going to allow herself to see neither of them in the hope that all three of them could move on and put the horrible situation behind them all. She wasn't sure she could make that decision. At least, not tonight.

Tonight she had other things to worry about. Like making sure that Caroline and Bonnie stayed safe from the vampire that was coming after them. Because Elena was positive that this would not be the last time she would see the tall, muscular, blonde man that had assumed she was Katherine and then tried to feed on Caroline. Correction- he did feed on Caroline; he had tried to kill her. And thank god Damon had been there to prevent that. She was sure neither Caroline nor herself would be breathing right now if it hadn't been for Damon.

Stefan, after learning everything that had transpired over the last several days, had informed everyone that he had needed to take some time to himself and that he was going to try to compile the few photos he had from the 1860's and would bring them back for Caroline and Elena to look through. He was hoping that they would be able to place the man that recognized Elena as Katherine and at least know who to look for in the coming days.

Elena glanced at the clock in the room. It was 5:16 in the morning. She had successfully gotten zero sleep that night, and although she knew it would grate on her nerves terribly during the day, she also knew that sleep was out of the question. Too much was rolling around her head right now to sleep.

The knob on the door jiggled before whoever was trying to get in gave up. Elena felt her heart leap up into her throat, but she knew that it would have only been Stefan or Bonnie or Caroline. They would have respected her privacy there. Damon would have come in regardless of the lock, and no other vampires had been invited into the house. There was a slightly comforting thought in that, at least.

"If you're going to lock yourself in, kitten, you might want to make sure the windows are secure as well."

Elena fell back against the bed. Yes, of course. She should have thought of that.

"Would it have stopped you?" She asked.

"Probably not. I would have used the door but I didn't feel like having you complain about the broken doorknob."

Elena rolled her eyes. "How sweet," she said flatly.

"I came to check on you," he explained, sitting on the bed beside her.

"Is that so? Are you sure you didn't come to make sure I wasn't going to go crying back to Stefan that you took my womanhood?"

He grinned. "That, my dear, you gave me quite freely."

Elena scoffed. "Damon, just admit it. You came to make sure that I am not planning on getting back together with Stefan now that my feelings for him have resurfaced."

His eyes darkened. "I suppose the thought that I was worried about you never actually occurred to you?"

"Why would you be worried about me?"

"You've been through a lot the last couple of days. We can't have a mental case on our hands. Not when there are homicidal vampires on the loose."

Elena's eyes fell and she sat up and looked at him squarely. "Damon, what am I going to do?" As soon as the question left her lips she regretted it, because she knew that she didn't want to seem so torn to him. She had a bad feeling that he would use it against her.

"You're going to call Stefan, tell him that he lost and that he can move on." He leaned in closer. "And then you and I are going to lock ourselves in this room…" he ran his hand up the length of her thigh and smirked.

"Damon! Not funny."

"Come on, Elena. I know how you feel about me. Suppressed feelings for my brother or not. You can't deny the lust in your eyes right now."

"There is no lust in my eyes!" She bit her bottom lip and turned red at saying that as loud as she had. And then she smacked him in the chest.

"See, even now you can't keep your hands off me." He grabbed a hold of her hand and kept it pressed against him.

Elena growled, which interestingly enough sounded far more like a whimper than she had intended it to. "Not now, Damon. Please. This is serious."

"Because you're afraid to hurt his feelings? Please, he has been moody for as long as I can remember. I am sure you can't make it much worse."

"Because I honestly don't know who I feel more strongly about. And I don't want anyone getting hurt- myself included." She eyed him darkly, knowing that he took every meaning of it the way she had intended.

"I won't hurt you."

"You still feed on humans. You've no way of proving to me that you wouldn't hurt me."

"Kitten, just because Stefan doesn't sample the buffet doesn't mean his mouth still doesn't water over the prospect. He's just as likely to hurt you as I am. Probably more in fact, since he's been denying his nature. I know how to control mine." He stroked her hair now, and she couldn't help the cold shiver that ran down her back.

"Did you come here to persuade me?"

---

Stefan came down the stairs at the boarding house and froze. He could hear someone in the house. He silently moved through the foyer and into the sitting room.

"Stefan?" Bonnie called out, looking around the downstairs.

"Bonnie?! What are you doing here? I told you to stay at the Gilbert's."

She sighed. "I know, but with Elena holed up in the guest room and Caroline still asleep I really couldn't stand to be in the house anymore."

"And Damon?"

Bonnie shrugged. "He disappeared a little while ago. I haven't seen him. Probably checking the perimeter or something? I don't know what you guys do…"

Stefan let out a sigh himself. "It's not a matter of what 'we' do. It's impossible to tell what Damon is going to do at any given time."

"I just… wanted to tell you that I-"

"I know Bonnie."

She shook her head, sitting down on the arm rest of the couch. "Please, Stefan. Let me finish. When I cast that spell, I wasn't expecting that it would affect Elena that way. And she's been so secretive lately. I honestly had no idea what had happened. I thought that after breaking up with you she would just be… alone for a while."

"It isn't your fault."

"It is. But thank you."

Stefan's expression softened. "I don't blame you, Bonnie."

She looked up at him with a weak smile. "I really appreciate that Stefan. But what Elena said… about Damon."

Stefan's face contorted in pain. "That is a matter that I will discuss with my brother when this is all over and done with. He should have known better than to take advantage of her like that."

Bonnie gulped. "I didn't mean to make things worse between you two."

"You couldn't have known. And this feud with Damon has been going on far longer than I'd liked it to. It was bound to reach a peak at some point."

Bonnie shook her head. "But that it should be with Elena… Katherine's double… seems ironic but somehow appropriate."

Stefan swallowed hard and then held his hand out to Bonnie. "We should get back."

She nodded. It had been worth it to follow Stefan here. She had needed some sort of confirmation from him that he wasn't angry with her for what she had accidentally done. Stefan was one of the few people Bonnie felt she could truly count on lately- even if Grams wasn't appreciative of that.

"Thanks, Stefan." She smiled, quickly squeezing his hand before making her way back out to her car.

---

Damon laid a kiss on Elena's forehead, allowing his lips to linger there for a brief moment before replying. "That depends. Is it working?"

"Too soon to tell…" she replied solemnly.

He gently laid her back on the bed. "Then I suppose I'll have to try a little harder…" He grinned and Elena melted into a pool of goo. Or at least she felt like she had. It took several quick blinks and deep breaths for her to regain her composure after having lost herself in the memories of the night before. The night before when Damon had kissed, caressed and teased her in all of the right places, and now that she was trying to think objectively about the situation, it was proving impossible.

"Not now, Damon."

"You already denied me morning after sex yesterday. I am sensing a pattern here…"

"I think we have issues a little more pressing here than whether or not I am going to sleep with you."

He rolled over on top of her. "And now? It would be difficult to find something more pressing."

Elena laughed and pushed him off of her. "I'm not joking around, Damon. We really need to keep Bonnie and Caroline safe, find this other vampire, talk about the Katherine thing, figure out the whole brother love triangle thing… and then… maybe we can discuss sex." She paused. "If I pick you."

Elena stood up and pressed a chaste kiss to Damon's lips and then sauntered toward the door.

"Whoa, whoa whoa. What do you mean, **if**?"

She shrugged. "We'll see, I guess."

He was beside her in the next instant, causing her to gasp when he whispered into her ear. "You know that my brother could never give you what I can give you. What I have given you. Don't be foolish Elena."

She turned around. "And I know that Stefan isn't going to leave me at the drop of a hat when something new comes along. Like say, if the tomb gets opened and you get Katherine back."

Damon ticked up an eyebrow. "Are you so sure about that? Do you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that he would, in fact, pick you if given the choice? Don't get me wrong Elena, you two are quite similar in the looks department, and you have a hell of a lot more heart than she does… but Stefan is against turning humans. How long do you think he would stay with you? Until you're 35? 42? It won't be forever Elena, as much as you might like it to be."

Elena felt her heart stop for a moment. "And you? What exactly do you have to offer me, if I choose you?"

"I would give you anything you ever wanted kitten… and more."

---

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the Delena fun. :) I wanted them to have some alone time to talk- even if they didn't really reach any sort of conclusions. Coming up: Bonnie gets a phone call from her college crush. Elena runs into the vampire that tried to kill Caroline. And a one-of-a-kind confrontation between Damon and Stefan. Stay tuned lovelies. And as always- please review. Reviews are love. Just like Damon in my dreams. Leave me a haiku if you love me?


	15. Simple Mistakes

**Simple Mistakes**  
_What have I done it's too late for that  
What have I become truth is nothing yet  
A simple mistake starts the hardest time  
I promise I'll do anything you ask...this time  
_Chocolate by Snow Patrol

* * *

Elena could feel her head swimming. She had always assumed that Damon would be done with her if they ever got the tomb open. But with what he was saying now, that he would give her anything she wanted- basically that he would turn her to be with her- she hadn't expected that. And what he had said about Stefan, she had never thought of it that way. She knew that Stefan was against feeding on or turning humans, but wouldn't he make an exception to be with her forever? If not, then why had he initiated a relationship with her in the first place?

"Damon, I need some time to think," she said with her hand on the doorknob of the guest room. Part of her just wanted to stay locked up in that room with him. But she knew that she couldn't. Her friends were still in danger and she really needed time to sort everything out in her brain and figure out exactly what she wanted. Sure, she had an amazing time the past few days with Damon. He made her feel free and happy; despite the danger that came along with him, it was exciting and she couldn't deny that.

She could see the hurt disguised as bitterness in his eyes. He was afraid of losing her, even if he wouldn't vocalize it.

"Don't think too long, kitten," he said, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "The whole patience is a virtue thing never really stuck with me."

Elena sighed heavily and then left him in the room and headed upstairs. A hot shower was just what she needed to relax and figure things out.

* * *

Bonnie sped through the streets of Mystic Falls to get back to Elena's house with Stefan beside her in the passenger seat keeping a keen eye and ear open for any signs of trouble. They had just left the boarding house, where Stefan had taken the opportunity to clear his head while he collected all of the pictures he could find from 1864. The hope was that one of the girls would recognize the man who had gone after Caroline.

"So, what's the plan?" Bonnie asked casually. "I mean, we can't stay at Elena's forever. Jenna wouldn't mind, but my dad has strict rules about me being home by 11 on school nights."

Stefan sighed. He wasn't really sure how to answer that question. In all honesty, he didn't have a plan; not one that was plausible right now anyway. The best plan he had come up with so far included buying a house somewhere away from Mystic Falls and hiding all of the girls there until he and Damon killed the vampires that were in town. Completely and utterly out of the question; Elena would never go for that- even if it would keep her safe.

"I guess we'll just have to make sure your families have enough vervain to last until we kill the vampires."

Bonnie turned onto Elena's street and slowed as she approached the house, parking behind Elena's car. She breathed in a deep lungful of fresh air and let it out slowly. "Is there no other way to keep them away? Nothing that you've found over the years that would have them running scared?"

Stefan shrugged. "There might be one thing. As far as I know it's just an old fairy tale, but I've obviously never been able to test it myself. I remember my father discussing it as another option for killing the vampires when they plagued the tow before. Back then we didn't know what would or wouldn't work. Garlic, holy water and crucifixes were all quickly found out as hoaxes."

"So what is this other way?" Bonnie asked, curious. She wondered if it might be something that Grams would know about. There had to be something in witchcraft to ward off vampires. There were ways to ward off spirits of the dead, so why not bodies of the undead?

Stefan knew he was playing with fire here. If anything were to ever happen and Bonnie turned against him, he didn't know that he wanted her equipped with all this knowledge of ways to kill vampires. But that wasn't fair to her. She had only ever been kind to him; she had stuck up for him on numerous occasions with Caroline, and even after learning the truth about him, she forced herself not to avoid him, even though she felt like she was going to jump out of her skin around him. That had quickly faded though. He was after all, the same Stefan she had always known. She always suspected something to be different about him- she had felt it the first time she was near him. But he was more dependable than anyone else she knew, and he cared about Elena more deeply than her best friend could ever imagine.

"Dead man's blood," Stefan said darkly. "It's like poison." He sighed. "Blood is our life force, so dead man's blood cripples our systems, or so the legend goes."

Bonnie gulped. Body snatching was not exactly something that was high on her list of things to do that day. And draining a dead body of blood was even lower on the list. She looked over at Stefan, to make sure he wasn't playing some sick joke on her.

"You're serious?" she asked.

He looked at her solemnly. "I don't even know if it will work, Bonnie," he said quietly, opening the car door. "But if it does, it would be a good torture method to find out what these vampires are after and how many of them are here."

She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Awesome. Nothing more fun on a Sunday afternoon then breaking into the town morgue and stealing blood from a bunch of dead people."

"You don't have to do this," he replied. "The vervain will keep you safe."

"It will keep us from being compelled. I'd like a little more insurance than that." Bonnie said sourly. "Does it… smell… the same to you?" Bonnie asked. She turned off the engine and got out of the car.

"As far as I know," he replied.

"And it's lethal?"

Stefan stopped half way up the walkway to the house. He nodded. "In the right amount, yes. In smaller doses it acts like poison. Crippling pain, probably a loss of senses and abilities."

They reached the front door and walked in instead of knocking. It was later in the morning now and Jenna had already left for work. Jeremy was still sleeping upstairs and Stefan could hear the shower running; he assumed either Caroline or Elena. Seeing Damon sprawled out on the couch asleep caused Stefan to grit his teeth together. Despite knowing that his brother would be there, requiring his help for this was the last thing that Stefan wanted to admit. It wasn't needing help that bothered him, since he was currently smack-dab in the middle of the biggest problem he had faced this century, but needing help from Damon was something he avoided at all costs. Especially when his older brother was going behind his back and stealing his girlfriend.

Bonnie placed a hand on Stefan's arm. "I can feel your anger, Stefan. You need to find a way to work through it for now. There are larger things than this."

He nodded and looked down at his brother's sleeping form on the couch. "I know. But that doesn't keep me from wanting to smack the grin off his face."

"Why don't you go find something to eat? We will be safe here until you come back, and that might help you concentrate a little more. One less thing to think about, ya know?"

"When did you gain all this wisdom?" Stefan asked letting out a quick chuckle.

Bonnie elbowed him playfully. "I've always had the smarts." She made her way into the kitchen.

"I guess I'll be back soon then?" He said, opening the back kitchen door. "Remember don't-"

"Invite anyone in." She finished quickly. "Got it. Now go." And then she was alone in the room. She poured a small glass of orange juice and then headed toward the guest bedroom. The door was open, which meant that it was most likely Elena in the shower. Bonnie gulped and wondered whether or not her friend would actually talk to her.

Her pocket vibrated and she pulled out her phone. Her face lit up when she read the text message. _Good morning, beautiful. I trust your friends are alright and that all of your dreams were pleasant. – Eric_

Bonnie let out a sigh and texted back quickly. _Could've been better. Major drama last night. Major aftermath this morning._

Because, Bonnie was sure there would be. She made her way up the stairs after pushing her phone back into her jeans pocket just as the bathroom door opened and Elena came out, toweling off her hair. She froze in the bathroom doorway when she saw Bonnie heading up the stairs.

"I thought you left…" Elena said quietly, flipping the bathroom light off.

"Yeah… I had to get some air," Bonnie replied, clearing her throat and leaning against the railing at the top of the stairs.

"And Stefan?" Elena asked.

"He'll be back. Just went to uh… get something to eat."

Elena nodded and there was silence between them for a moment.

"Caroline's awake." Elena said, not really sure what else to say. She didn't want to be mad at her best friend, especially not at a time like this, but it was hard. She wasn't mad at Bonnie for the spell, because she knew that had been a mistake. But she was angry that Bonnie hadn't warned her, hadn't told her what had happened. It would have explained so much before she had gotten quite so involved with Damon. And her mind flashed an image of her and Damon in bed together again, as if on cue, forcing her to relive her dirty little secret.

"Is she doing okay?" Bonnie asked, taking a few steps toward Elena's bedroom. Her phone vibrated again in her pocket and she couldn't help the butterflies that flitted gleefully in her stomach. She glanced down at the message. _Maybe I can make the day better for you? Dinner tonight?_ Bonnie didn't answer. She wasn't sure it was possible, and she had bigger things to worry about right now.

Elena made a face and shrugged. "As good as can be expected I guess. She's still pretty shaken up over almost dying… but who wouldn't be." She shook her head then. "But it's Caroline. You know how she bounces back… covers everything up."

Bonnie sighed. "Yeah…" And then she opened the door and smiled at Caroline, who was digging through Elena's closet for something to wear.

"Do you ever clean this closet out, Elena?" Caroline complained, turning around momentarily to look at the two girls who had entered. "There are things in here that I swear you wore in 8th grade."

Elena laughed. "I'm sentimental. What do you want from me?"

Caroline pulled out a pair of neon green hot pants and a matching tye-dyed tank top. "I want you to burn this."

Elena's face fell. "My dad bought that for me."

Caroline arched a brow. She had obviously hit a nerve. "Sweetie, saving this… _thing_ isn't going to help you remember him."

Elena nodded and sighed. "It's just… I don't think I can part with some of the things in there."

Caroline put the outfit back in the closet and put up her hands defensively. "I won't push," she said. "But I am borrowing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I can't wear your pajamas all day."

Bonnie cleared her throat. "And we have a… uh… mission today."

Caroline raised a brow. "And that would be…"

"A way to poison whatever vampires are coming after us." She took a breath and looked at the two girls. "Dead man's blood."

Caroline shook her head and began gathering her things. "OH no! You have gotta be kidding me Bonnie. There is no damn _way_ I am going near a morgue to drain bodies of blood. I did _not_ sign up for this!"

Bonnie grabbed her arm. "None of us did. But Stefan said if it works, we can use it to interrogate them… to find out what they're after and how many there are."

"IF it works?" Caroline questioned. "I think I'll stick with my plan of avoidance."

Elena interjected then. "Care- I am really sorry that you got dragged into this. But you can't avoid it. They will come after you again. They won't stop until they get what they want."

"And what is that exactly?" Caroline asked.

"The tomb…" Bonnie said quietly. Elena threw a glance her way. They weren't supposed to talk about that night deep in the woods when Damon almost killed Bonnie. But she continued. "There's a tomb under the old Fell's church ruins. There are a bunch of vampires sealed in down there… from 1864."

Caroline looked doubtful. "After 150 years, they wouldn't be dead?"

Elena shook her head. "In like a mummified coma. They can't do anything because they've been without blood for so long. But they're not dead until they're staked through the heart."

"Or possibly poisoned with dead man's blood." Bonnie added.

"So your master plan is to sweet-talk your way into the morgue and fill up a bucket with blood from a bunch of stiffs? Do you understand how creep-tastic that sounds?" Caroline's face was indignant.

Bonnie folded her arms across her chest. "I would rather be more prepared and able to possibly handle things if I am ever caught alone then have to wait for someone to come to my aide."

"It works," Damon said from the doorway, causing all three girls to turn around and look at him. "I've seen the way it cripples vampires. Just the smallest amount can have them on the floor writhing in pain for hours."

"Can you get us into the morgue?" Elena asked. The words sounded funny coming out of her mouth. She was beginning to get the full effect of what it meant to socialize with the Salvatore brothers. Her life would never again be normal. Maybe it was never supposed to be; she did after all look exactly like Katherine. It wasn't possible that it was all a coincidence. There had to be some bigger reason at play here. And Elena knew she wouldn't stop until she found out what that was.

Damon shrugged. "Depends. What's in it for me?"

Elena's eyes narrowed. "The satisfaction of a job well done." She didn't want to go as far as to tell him he was going to help. She knew Damon well enough to know that he wouldn't take her talking to him that way. In fact, he would probably end up taking them down to the morgue and draining all of the living bodies there just to spite her if she did try to tell him that he was helping. "Please, Damon?" she added quietly.

He scoffed. "Where's Stefan?

"He needed to… feed…"

Damon smirked. "Skunk or Bambi today?"

Bonnie scowled. "Can't you ever be nice to him?"

Damon moved to where Bonnie was and had her pressed against the wall in the next instant. "No." He said plainly. "And you would do well to remember that, Miss Bennett. I am not my brother. I don't play the whole prince charming hero bit."

And then he was gone.

* * *

Bonnie sat in the living room at Elena's house with Caroline and Stefan. Caroline had refused to go to the morgue and Elena had gone after Damon when he disappeared. She had told the girls that she would be more likely to get him to help if she did it alone, and neither Bonnie nor Caroline argued with her. This all took place while Stefan was still out. She had called them a little while later to check in and let them know that she was with Damon and that they were heading to the morgue.

Stefan was livid when he returned, but he couldn't leave Caroline and Bonnie alone, and he knew that taking them out of the house more than was necessary would only end in disaster.

Bonnie's phone rang then, and she hopped up and made her way to the guest bedroom before answering it.

"Hello?"

"Bonnie, hey." Eric's voice cooed on the other end. "I thought I'd have to leave you a voicemail."

"Do you want me to hang up so you can call again?" She asked.

He chuckled. "No, no. Definitely not. Just guessed you weren't going to answer after you didn't reply to my text message earlier."

"Oh, right. I'm sorry. I completely forgot."

He hesitated. "Yeah… all that drama aftermath?"

She smiled. "Yeah, definitely. But I am really sorry that I didn't text you back."

There was a short pause. "Well, do you have plans for dinner? I was thinking a quick drive down to Mystic Falls. I hear you guys have a killer bar and grille."

Bonnie laughed. "That's one way to put it. But uh… I don't know if tonight is really the best-"

"Oh," he said, sounding disappointed. "Alright. Well, I don't want to bother you then."

"No, it's really not that. I mean… just this weekend is really…"

"I get it Bonnie," he said, trying to brush it off. "No big deal."

"You think I don't want to go, don't you? Eric listen, it's really not like that. I would love to have dinner with you tonight. It's just-"

"Great. I'll pick you up at seven."

Bonnie couldn't help but smile. It was obvious he wasn't planning on taking no for an answer, and she found that incredibly charming. "314 Grant St." she said, giving him Elena's address. Stefan would not like this very much. But she couldn't stop her life over this; sooner or later she was going to have to leave the Gilbert's house. Besides, it wasn't like a vampire would come after her in a crowded place like the Mystic Grille. She would be safe there- and Stefan was more than able to tag along and keep an eye on her. From a distance anyway.

* * *

Elena slid back into the passenger seat of Damon's car, placing a heavy backpack on the floor at her feet. The spy games that she was playing with Damon were something that she enjoyed and the grin on her face expressed that.

"Huh, I would have never expected this mood from you on a day like today." Damon mused as he watched Elena.

She shrugged, closing the door. "I like all the cloak and dagger stuff. It's fun."

He laughed. "You were in a morgue using a syringe to take blood from dead bodies. Next week I'll have to plan something more exciting."

"Next week?" Elena asked, somewhat surprised.

"Of course," he grinned. "You don't think I'm going down without a fight, do you? There's no way Stefan is going to win this."

She raised a brow. "Is this some sort of twisted game to you?" she asked, skeptical.

"Elena please," he scoffed. And then paused. "There is nothing twisted about it. This is a very straightforward game. One that I fully intend to win."

"You can't win my affections, Damon."

"So you say," he smiled. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, placing a quick kiss on her lips. "Or maybe I already have."

* * *

A/N: I tried really really hard to make this chapter more about Damon and Elena. But Bonnie just wanted the spotlight. Anyway, there is a lot of stuff set up for the next chapter. Stay tuned! And as always… Reviews are the Dean to my Sam. (Wait… wrong fandom. You know what I mean.)


	16. Save Your Soul

A/N: Okay. *hides* I know everyone must be going stir crazy for an update. And I'm so sorry that this has taken so incredibly long. I want to say a quick sorry and thank you to allison lightning for your honest and straightforward review. I think I got stuck in my own little writing world and didn't really think about how it would really affect the whole story universe. But I completely see your point about cannon, **so I want to make a note that the dead man's blood thing will not be in continuing chapters, and I will probably be editing chapter 15 to make the story run more smoothly**. Enough about me. On with the story. ^_^

* * *

**Save Your Soul**

She just might get you lost,

And she just might leave you torn,

But she just might save your soul,

If she gets you when she gets you any closer

_Rooftops and Invitations by Dashboard Confessional_

* * *

Bonnie moved quietly and cautiously back to the living room where Caroline and Stefan were still sitting watching TV.

"So…" Bonnie said quietly, sitting down between the two of them. "Stefan, you know how we talked about Caroline and I not being able to stay here forever?"

Stefan raised a brow and looked at Bonnie carefully. "Mmhmm," he drew out dramatically.

"Well, that time has come sooner rather than later," Bonnie said, a grin plastered on her face.

* * *

Elena sank down into the passenger seat of Damon's car trying to disappear into the leather bucket seat. There was so much going on in her head that a dull throb had developed behind her eyelids. As much as she enjoyed being around Damon, she knew that it was not going to help her figure out her feelings for him and Stefan. For that, she knew she would have to be alone.

"Penny for your thoughts," Damon said, twirling a strand of Elena's hair around his finger.

Elena made a face. "I think I need to spend some time… alone."

"Now there's never a good sign. Do you know how much you just sounded like my brother?"

Elena smiled a little at that. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, was it? She could certainly think of worse, anyway. "As I told you before, Damon. Just because you enjoy inflicting pain on Stefan doesn't mean I do."

"And you really think he's better for you than I am?"

Elena gave Damon a crooked smile at that. "I know he is. I just don't know if I really want what's best for me anymore."

They were both quiet for a long moment, and then Elena spoke again. "At the risk of sounding like Bonnie, I know that you aren't your brother, but would it really kill you to be nice to people? I mean, you're nice to me."

Damon cocked a brow. "I am nice to you because you let me in your pants. And most of the time you don't nag me."

Elena made a face. "That's not true. You've already proven to me that there's more to you than this guy who only cares about causing trouble and getting laid."

Damon grinned. "Don't forget the blood, kitten. I care about that too."

"Uh huh…" Elena said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Fine, if Damon was going to play this game again, she couldn't really stop him. She couldn't make him admit that he had feelings either, so instead she sat quietly as he drove back to her house.

"I'm gunna let you out here," he said, pulling into the driveway and putting the car in Park but letting it idle.

"Let me out?" she questioned curiously. "Where are you going?"

His eyes danced. "Lunch time. Unless you've got a better meal planned inside?"

Elena actually considered it for about two seconds, and then shook her head. "It's too risky. Besides, I don't want you going and getting all attached to me as your meal-time go-to. Especially if I decide to pick Stefan instead."

Damon rolled his eyes. "You keep telling yourself that, Elena."

She got out and closed the door, leaning into the open window to look at him. He met her gaze but with little emotion on his own face.

"Thank you," she said quietly. Elena knew that he was giving her the alone time that she desperately needed, even if he wouldn't admit it. She also knew that he was a much better guy than he or Stefan would acknowledge.

"Don't know what you're talking about," he said seriously. And then he ran his tongue across his canines and grinned. "Maybe I'll see you for dinner then," and he threw the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway.

Elena shook her head as she watched him drive away. How on earth had she gotten so mixed up with him? A shiver ran down her spine and she had the strangest sensation that she was being watched. Elena ran to the house and pushed the door open, closing it swiftly behind her and locking it securely before leaning against the door, allowing her breathing and heartbeat to return to normal.

_Knock knock_ on the door and Elena let out a quick yelp and jumped.

Bonnie moved swiftly from the living room to the entrance way, looking curiously at Elena whose face was sheet white and held an expression of utter shock.

"Everything okay?" Bonnie asked cautiously, taking her friend's hand in her own.

Elena nodded. "Yeah… of course. I just wasn't expecting the door…" she shook her head. She was being ridiculous now. Her mind was running on overdrive and she was completely worked up over what happened last night. The lack of sleep certainly hadn't helped her nerves at all, and as she felt her heart rate slowing, she almost laughed about how silly she was being.

Bonnie grinned. "I think it's my date. Hope you don't mind I borrowed some clothes since I didn't have time to go home."

Elena's brow furrowed. "Date? We're stuck under house arrest and you pick today for a date?"

"Chill," Bonnie said lightly. She leaned in closer and whispered, "Stefan's going too. He's going to keep an eye on me."

And then without another word, Bonnie swung the door open. Eric stood on the porch, his face a serene smile and a single yellow rose in his hands. He held it out. "For you, Bonnie."

The door opened wider and he nodded to Elena who was standing beside her best friend. Bonnie glanced quickly at Elena, and then looked back at Eric. "Eric, this is my best friend Elena. This is, uh… actually her house. We kind of had a slumber party last night."

His brow furrowed for a split second. "Protector mode, right?"

Bonnie smiled. "Yeah. Elena, this is Eric. I met him at the party last night. Actually… it was his party. Yesterday was his birthday."

Elena cleared her throat. "Nice to meet you."

"Well, we should probably get going," Bonnie smiled. "I've got curfew on school nights." She laughed. "Dad's rules."

Eric nodded understandingly. "Ahh, gotcha. Well then, we should probably be off if we gotta make sure to get you home on time."

Elena smiled again. "It was nice meeting you, Eric."

He glanced back over his shoulder. "Same to you, Elena."

Elena closed the door behind them and stalked into the living room. She knew that she should restrain her feelings, especially to Stefan when he was still upset about what had happened between the two of them. But, her mouth moved before her brain could stop it. "You let her go on a date?!" She said, staring Stefan down.

His brow furrowed. "It's not like I could really stop her."

"What happened to low profile and keeping under a safe roof where we're sure no other vampires have been invited in? For all you know the Grille could be covered in vampires."

Stefan rubbed his temples and chewed on the inside of his cheek while he listened to her. Once she had calmed down and took a seat on the arm of the couch he spoke calmly and quietly. "I am going to go and keep an eye on her Elena. If anything happens I will get her out of there. It will be okay."

He placed his hand on her arm and she turned to look at him, their eyes meeting for the first time since she told Stefan about her feelings for his older brother late the night before.

"Elena, I promise I will keep her safe. You have to believe me."

Elena swallowed hard and nodded. "I do," she responded quietly.

"Alright," Caroline interrupted, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the door frame. "If you two aren't going to kiss and make up, can we go now please? I'm sorry but I don't think I can stay here much longer. I'm going stir crazy."

Elena pursed her lips quickly and then shrugged and gave Stefan a 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em' look. "I guess we're all going."

"That is not a good idea. I can't keep an eye on all three of you at once."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Okay, Grumpy, here's the deal. We all have that vervainy stuff so we can't be compelled. And Elena and I both know what the guy looks like, so if he comes to the Grille, we can let you know right away." Caroline sighed. "And I'm sure it won't be too tough for Elena to get your douchebag brother to follow her over there, so you won't have to watch us all. Plus, I was planning on calling Matt to see if he'd meet us there."

Elena raised a brow. "Looks like Caroline's got it all figured out. Well, except for the Damon thing."

Caroline narrowed her eyes at her friend. "He threatened to kill me. I get to call him a douchebag."

Elena swallowed hard. She couldn't dispute Caroline on that. But she knew that deep down Damon was different now than when he had first come to town. Then he had killed people just for the sake of it. But now that he knew that he was cared for and accepted, at least by Elena, he was different. For one thing he wasn't killing humans anymore. And his normally dark, sarcastic humor (which, let's be honest, was still dark but far more hot than Elena had ever found it before) had somehow become less menacing than it had been previously.

* * *

Damon was seriously pissed off. Despite knowing deep down that he really had no one to blame but himself, he consciously chose to blame… well everyone. He blamed Stefan for being his annoying, sickeningly sweet self. For brooding all over the girl that Damon wished he could have all to himself. He blamed Elena for making him want her all to himself and for understanding him in a way that no one had before. Not since Katherine. And even then, if he were being honest with himself, had Katherine really understood that much about him? Sure, she knew how to get at his desires and lusts, but had she really known him the way that Elena did? He was really pissed off at Elena for making him doubt and second guess the woman that he had spent over a century trying to get back. Hell, he was even pissed at Caroline and Bonnie for dragging Elena to that god-awful party the night before, where she had learned the truth about looking like Katherine.

If he were being honest with himself (which he wasn't) he probably would have realized that spending so much time with Elena was bound to get to him sooner or later. Even if he was just imagining that she was Katherine (which he _had_ done… once or twice) there was something connecting the two of them now. Something that made her more than just the expendable human that he really wished he could still see her as.

To make matters worse, Elena- this fragile, weak human girl- was trying to make Damon believe that she might actually choose Stefan over him. His mouth salivated over the fact that in just one tenth of a second, he could twist her neck and drink from her rich, savory, delicious blood if he wanted to. He didn't need her permission. He was stronger, faster. Well, to be quite honest he was better. That fact had been engrained in him over the last century and a half- so why was she now making him doubt that? Why were Elena Gilbert's feelings making him think twice about what he said and how he acted? Could it really be as simple as the fact that he just didn't want to hurt her? Hurt her? Since when did Damon Salvatore care about hurting anyone? Since when did he care about anything other than numero uno?

Damon scoffed as he bit into another donor blood bag from the hospital. He growled angrily just for good measure into the empty boarding house. He couldn't recall a single time in the last hundred and fifty years when he hadn't put himself first. There had not been one instance when Damon did anything without an ulterior motive that would benefit him. Until the day he stepped foot back in Mystic Falls and ran smack dab into one Elena Gilbert.

* * *

Stefan picked a seat at the bar where he could easily see both Bonnie to his left and Elena and Caroline to his right. Of course they had to go to complete opposite ends of the restaurant, making it a little more difficult to simultaneously watch all of them, but it wasn't impossible. Especially for a vampire. Most of the time, he kept his eyes on Bonnie, watching for anything suspicious in the area. Stefan was pretty sure that whatever vampires were out there, they were looking for her. The fact that Bonnie was the newest known Bennett witch in Mystic Falls certainly had its disadvantages, especially when it was a Bennett witch that put a curse on Fell's Church to begin with. It was pretty well known that the easiest way to break a witch's spell was to have her or her descendants undo the magic. Unfortunately for Bonnie, her ancestor Emily had been into some pretty major stuff.

"Hey man," the bartender said, nodding to Stefan. "What's your girl doing all the way over there tonight? What's her name? Ella? No… Elena, right?"

Stefan ground his teeth together and threw back the shot of Jack Daniels in his glass, swallowing the mouthful and giving the bartender his best 'brooding puppy-dog' look.

"Ah, shit, dude. I didn't know." The man grabbed the bottle of Jack and quickly refilled Stefan's glass. "Sorry to hear that."

Stefan nodded. "Those who don't learn from history…. Right?"

The bartender's brow furrowed. "I don't follow."

A small, sad smile crossed Stefan's features. "They say those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it." He tipped his glass to the bartender and then added. "Welcome to history repeating…" And then he finished off the second shot of Jack in one quick gulp.

Just then, someone clamped their hand down over his shoulder. Stefan whipped his head around to see Ethan, a boy from school who was in his and Elena's history class. "Hey Stefan, sorry man. Didn't mean to sneak up on you like that. Just wondering, is Elena with you? I had a question for her about our Lit paper."

The bartender tried to cover his chuckle with a cough as Stefan let out another exasperated sigh. "She's over there," he pointed toward the general direction Elena and Caroline had gone. Stefan shook his head as he watched the boy jog over to where he had pointed and then turned back to the bartender. "That's it…" he said, fed up. "A shot of Jack for every time someone asks me about Elena tonight."

"You got it," the bartender replied. "Name's Jackson, and I'll be here all night."

Stefan threw a 100 dollar bill on the counter and sighed. "Yeah, I'm afraid me too."

Jackson grinned, pouring Stefan another shot (and making sure to fill it a little fuller than necessary), which Stefan downed as quickly as the first two.

* * *

Caroline and Elena waited at a booth near the pool tables for Matt. Stefan had made it perfectly clear that they weren't supposed to so much as go to the bathroom without letting him know first. Elena drummed her fingernails absentmindedly as her mind wandered over all of the things she knew she should be worrying about right then. Part of her was glad to be out of the house, away from the claustrophobic bedroom where she would have nothing but her thoughts as company. Because she knew the instant she was alone, everything that she was keeping firmly at bay because she was in public, would finally crash down around her and she would have no choice but to face it. The expression when it rains it pours seemed to reverberate in Elena's head as she stole quick glances in the direction of the bar, where Stefan was sitting. He was at an angle which meant if he turned to the right he could see her, but Bonnie was clear across the other side of the restaurant and he would have to keep an eye on her as well. _Good_, she thought, _at least I don't have to worry about catching his eye all the time._

"Hey ladies," Matt said enthusiastically, interrupting her thinking. "Thought we were playing pool."

Caroline grinned up at him, sliding herself out of the booth and giving his arm a quick squeeze. "Yep, you and I are up first. Elena's playing the winner."

Matt's brow furrowed for a moment, taking in Elena's clearly frazzled appearance. "Uhh, you sure?" He asked, wondering if it might be a better idea to stay and make sure she was alright.

Elena saw the concern in his eyes and gave him a hopeful smile. "Mmhmm. Best two out of three. Then it's my turn."

Matt raised one brow and let out a quick chuckle. "No offense Elena, but you are not that great."

She rolled her eyes. "Then I'll play the loser." She smiled again, a little more genuinely this time. "I wanted to grab something to eat anyway."

He nodded and followed Caroline over to an empty pool table.

Elena let out a deep sigh and wondered if maybe talking to Stefan would be a good idea. They certainly did both have a lot to apologize for. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, watching him throw back two shots in a row. And then her brow furrowed into a look of deep confusion when Damon slid into the barstool beside his brother. _On second thought, _Elena mused. _Maybe I should just stay right here…_

* * *

Once Damon's thirst was sufficiently sated, he decided to check in on Stefan. He was wondering how Stefan was handling all three girls at once, knowing that he personally had considerably more experience than his little brother, and that if nothing else it would be an amusing sight to watch. Damon hadn't been counting on none of them being at Elena's house when he swung by, and so he made his way to the Mystic Grille, which was really the only thing to do in that tiny god-forsaken town.

Of course, all four of them were there, along with Stefan's bromance buddy Matt Donovan and some new guy that Bonnie was with. He made a mental note to swing by their table later and embarass her a bit. Hey, what were friends (err... sleeping partners of friends?) for? Damon was a little surprised, however, to see that none of them were all together. Bonnie and her boyfriend were off at a little table in the back corner. Elena, Caroline and Matt were near the billiards tables. And Stefan. A pleased smile crossed Damon's face when he noticed his little brother sitting all alone at the bar. He narrowed his eyes to get a better look when he caught a glimpse of… Was that Stefan knocking back shots? Damon laughed to himself. Now this, was something worth seeing up close.

He walked coolly through the large open space and slid inconspicuously into the bar stool beside Stefan.

"Save some for the rest of us, cowboy," Damon said, a smirk securely planted on his face.

"Go away, Damon," was Stefan's only reply. And he could be wrong, but did that sound a little slurred?

"Aww come on. Looks like the party is just getting started in here." He held up Stefan's empty glass and grinned. "What are we drinking to, little brother?"

Stefan pulled the glass from Damon's hand and Jackson immediately started refilling it.

"Your little bro lost his girl. Plan is to do a shot every time someone says her…" He cut off abruptly, seeing the mortified, anger ridden glare Stefan was throwing his way.

Damon laughed. "Every time someone says Elena?" He made a face like he approved. "Well, I'll abso-fuckin-lutely drink to Elena." He grinned again. "And make mine a double."

* * *

A/N: I really hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. It was a lot of fun to write. Even though it took me entirely too long to complete. I promise that I will never make you wait that long for an update again. This chapter kept escaping me for some reason. But I finally got back into the groove, so I hope you all enjoyed it. I kind of left little cliffies going on with everyone… so you'll have to tune in for more to find out what happens next! Reviews are… hmmm… Well, they're definitely welcome. And I've got no metaphors today. So review if you liked it. Review if you didn't. How about that? ;) Thanks again for reading guys. You're all really awesome!


	17. Standing in the Shadows

A/N: This'll be quick today. First, I want to thank my amazing friend Caroline, who has been there for me to bounce ideas off of, who tells me when things sound silly, and who also gave me the phrase 'kicked-puppy look' (Although she used it in reference to Jeremy on VD and Sam on SN and how they look like they could be brothers). Regardless, she's the best. Also, I want to thank all of you for your questions comments and faithful reviews. They really do help me through the writer's block, so if there's something here that you really like, leave a comment and let me know. Thanks all. You're awesome.

* * *

**Standing In The Shadows**

_All the vampires walkin' through the valley  
Move west down Ventura Blvd  
And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows  
All the good girls are home with broken hearts_  
FreeFalling by Tom Petty

* * *

Stefan growled, deep in his throat. "Don't talk about her like that," he barked at Damon who was more than aware of Stefan's dislike for expletives, especially when they were in conjuncture with Elena's name.

"Tisk, tisk, little brother. Have I taught you nothing about women?" Damon shook his head with a smirk on his face. "You never let them get to you like this… otherwise you'll end up just looking like a drunken mortal fool who was jilted in love." Damon pulled his hands up to make a square like he was framing a shot for a camera around Stefan's saddened eyes and his 'kicked-puppy' disposition. "Yep, just like that."

Stefan had just downed shot number 5 of Jack Daniels and was trying (to no avail) to rid himself of the older brother who always enjoyed seeing Stefan suffer for any reason. Stefan knew that he should be keeping a cool head through this all. He did, after all, really need to be watching out for Bonnie and Elena and Caroline. He knew what could happen if he was down on his game. He had witnessed just how quickly things could turn last night. God, had it really just been last night? Somehow it already seemed like forever ago. So much had happened over the last few days that Stefan almost couldn't remember what things were like when he and Elena were together. When he was happy. Before all of this shit metaphorically hit the fan with Damon and Bonnie's spell and all of these other vampires coming to town.

Not that things had ever really been easy for Stefan and Elena. But they had certainly been easier than this.

Jackson eyed the two brothers with morbid curiosity. "I don't meanta pry," he said quickly. "But, seems to me more's goin' on here than just your girl peacin' out on you."

Damon rolled his eyes. He gave the bartender a quick evil smirk and raised his glass for another shot. "Maybe you should stick to your day job and quit trying to be psychiatrist to my little brother. Trust me, Sparky. This is sooo not something you want a part of. Three may be a crowd, but four is bound to be a blood bath." The last few words came out in a menacing growl as Damon locked eyes with the bartender. "Got it?"

Jackson nodded, gulping and breaking Damon's gaze to see that he had overflowed the shot glass in Damon's hand. Grabbing the bar towel from his back pocket, he began wiping up the mess. "Ah, man. I'm so sorry about that. This round's on me." He gulped again, filling Stefan's glass as well before all but running into the back of the restaurant without so much as a 'be right back'.

Stefan sighed. "Was that necessary, Damon?"

Damon shrugged. "Just teaching the guy some manners. Apparently his mother never taught him to butt out of other people's lives."

Stefan laughed one quick un-amused laugh. "Look who's talking."

Damon's eyes narrowed. "Something you'd like to get off your chest, little brother?"

Stefan let out another long, deep breath as he shook his head. "Maybe after another couple drinks I will. But for now, I'm good."

Half of Damon's mouth curled up in a wicked grin. "I've got time." He pulled off his jacket and clinked glasses with his brother again. "To being patient," he said quickly before throwing his shot back and letting the flavor burst on his tongue before the warmth slid down his throat, further dulling his bloodlust.

Now it was Stefan's turn to roll his eyes. He watched his brother drink the alcohol and shook his head. "I didn't think the word patient was in your vocabulary, Damon." He said quietly before drinking the contents of his own glass.

Damon ticked up one brow. "There's a lot about me you don't know, Stefan," he retorted quietly with just as much formality as his brother had used.

* * *

Bonnie was honestly having the time of her life sitting across the table from Eric, who had surprised her the night before by being a complete gentleman in a sea of drunk and horny college boys. Bonnie hadn't gone to the party the night before in hopes of finding a guy; in fact, Bonnie rarely gave guys much thought. All of the guys at their school only cared about getting laid and finding someone to buy them booze. And those were things that Bonnie really had zero tolerance for. She had always known that when the time came, she would find a guy that truly suited her beliefs, her morals and just be a decent guy. Bonnie smiled at the man sitting across from her as she mused about him. Maybe she had finally found that decent guy. Wouldn't that be a positive turn of events for her for once?

"I have to admit, Bonnie. When I heard about this place, I wasn't sure it would live up to the hype."

Bonnie's brow furrowed at Eric. "Hype?"

He nodded. "Everyone on campus says they have the best burgers in Northern Virginia. I was skeptical at first." He picked the burger back up and looked at it hungrily. "But these are phenomenal."

Bonnie shook her head and laughed. "Yeah… Mystic Falls… Home of Virginia's best burger. What a silly thing to be known for."

Eric paused, setting the burger back down on his plate, and frowned. "Are you not having a good time?"

Bonnie tore her gaze away from his chiseled biceps that looked like they were about to rip through the tight sleeves of his black t-shirt and cleared her mind. "What? No. I'm having a really great time."

Eric's eyes went to her plate, where she had stacked her fries into a pile that looked like a Linkin-Log house. "You sure?" he questioned, concerned.

Bonnie followed his gaze down to her plate. "Oh geez," she laughed. "I didn't even realize what I was doing." She shook her head, as if to clear her mind from all of the thoughts of Eric being the perfect guy (along with the lingering thoughts of the vampires and the church tomb and what she was going to do about keeping her friends protected). "Definitely sure. I'm good." She took a bite of one of her fries, as if to prove to him just how alright she really was. She looked up at him and grinned, adding a redundant "Mmmm."

Eric rolled his eyes. "You weren't trying to blow me off earlier." He said matter-of-factly. "You really do have a lot on your plate right now, don't you?" He asked. And then added, "No pun intended," with a smile on his face.

Bonnie laughed quietly. "I need to work on the whole thinking and eating at the same time thing, apparently." She picked up a chicken tender and dipped it in her barbecue sauce before asking, "Am I that transparent?"

He shrugged. "You're not transparent. I'm just pretty good at reading people. Plus, you did warn me that you had a lot going on. I should have taken the hint instead of assuming you didn't want to see me."

"Not your fault," Bonnie said quickly. "Besides, this really is a lot of fun. You're not like the guys I know. I think the most intelligent conversation I could have with any of them would be about the NFL draft."

He threw her a quick smirk. "Don't knock the NFL draft."

Bonnie laughed. "I wouldn't dream of it." She chanced a quick peak over at Stefan to give him some sort of signal that everything was fine. She was surprised to see Damon sitting beside him. She was even more surprised to see them clinking shot glasses and speaking in hushed whispers before both downing the alcohol contained in the small glasses.

* * *

Elena knew that something was up when Damon joined his brother at the bar, but she didn't have the nerve to confront them both. Together. Again. She had spent enough time feeling like she were involved in some sick reincarnation of their long-lost threesome that she definitely didn't want to give them any more motivation than they already had. It felt strange and foreign that just moments ago she longed for nothing more than the comfort of the bustling people around her keeping her mind from all of the things that she knew she should be working through in her mind. Because right now she really wanted to just curl up under her covers and have a good cry over everything.

But Elena couldn't do that. She had to be strong for her friends. She had to be strong for herself. Elena stole a quick glance over at Caroline. She knew that her friend had always been extremely good at masking her feelings, but this went beyond normal. All of them knew just how close Caroline had come to dying the night before. It just didn't make sense that she would be so flirty and happy and normal right now. Elena sighed, wishing she found it just as easy to cover up her true feelings and put on her happy face.

She shook her head. No. Elena had spent far too long putting on that mask. Ever since her parents had died, up until the time when she had first met Stefan her life had been a perfectly constructed cover of smiles and nods, of telling people that she was really okay even though she never felt that way.

"Elena?" Matt called, coming over to the table. "Take my place? Nature calls."

Elena rolled her eyes but smiled. "Sure, sure." She replied, taking the pool cue from him. He squeezed her shoulder gently before heading off into the direction of the bathrooms.

"Hey E!" Caroline called from the table. "Your shot." Elena shook her head at the nickname but stood up and made her way to the pool table.

* * *

With everyone's attention otherwise averted, no one noticed the dark figure who hung in the shadows that followed Matt down the hallway into the Men's room.

Matt finished his business and turned on the water in the sink, barely registering the figure that came into the small room behind him. It wasn't until he felt the man's hands on his shoulders that Matt looked up with panic in his eyes.

The vampire pulled Matt hard, turning him around and shoving him against the cold tile wall. Matt's head flew back so hard that the small square tile that impacted with his head shattered. He moaned out a painful cry and felt his vision go blurry. He already knew he was losing blood. His skull felt like it had been cracked in half.

"Look at me you weak, impotent human," the vampire said, his voice full of hate and disgust.

Matt struggled to open his eyes. The vampire came into the field of his vision but it was a bigger struggle to pull the man into focus. "What…" Matt panted quietly, biting back yelps of anger as the man's grip on his arms tightened. "Do… you…"He coughed, and felt his eyes begin closing again, involuntarily. "want from me…?" He finished with effort.

"For darkness' sake," the vampire spat, drawing a shallow line across his forearm with his canines and lifting it to Matt's mouth. "You're fine now. You incapable humans are far too breakable." He pulled his arm back from Matt's mouth and looked at him squarely. "Focus now," he said, beginning to feel Matt's strength return, strength that the vampire was using to control his mind, to compel him. "You will do exactly as I say. And you will never remember this conversation. You will take Caroline Forbes back to her house. Spend the night there with her. Neither of you are to leave until the sun comes up. You keep her there by _any_ means necessary." The emphasis on the word 'any' would have made Matt's blood run cold if he hadn't been compelled. As it was, he merely nodded as a mischievous grin crossed his features. "Do you understand?"

Matt nodded. "I understand." And then his facial features were blank again. "Take Caroline home."

The vampire nodded. "And try to be convincing," he added with a sneer. And then he shoved Matt toward the door.

* * *

Elena and Caroline seemed to be at a stalemate on the pool table, neither of them being able to sink the 8 ball and win the game. Elena smiled when Matt came back over and handed him his cue back. "You're right, I really am terrible."

He gave her no indication that he heard her. "I have to take Caroline home," he said, his voice sounding distant.

Elena glanced over at Caroline whose face seemed just as confused as she felt. "How about some dinner before you go?" Elena asked cautiously. "Caroline was just saying she was starving." She knew that they needed to stay there. They needed to be close to Damon and Stefan in case anything happened.

Matt's gaze went to Caroline, who was obviously torn. Neither Matt nor Caroline said anything.

Elena's phone began ringing and she pulled it out of her pocket. It was Jenna. "Hey listen. Let me take this real quick, and then we can figure out the whole staying/leaving situation. K?"

She jogged toward the darkened hallway where the restrooms were and answered the phone.

"Jenna, hey." She said, sounding a little breathless.

"Is everything okay, Elena?" Jenna asked, her voice full of concern.

Just then a set of strong arms wrapped themselves carefully around Elena, pulling her body flush against his. She smiled, seeing Damon's blue eyes peer at her from the darkness. "We _have_ to stop meeting in private like this," he whispered quietly into her ear.

Elena swallowed hard, keeping her composure. "Yeah, Jenna. Everything is fine. I'm at the Grille with Bonnie and Caroline."

"Wrapped in a gorgeous vampires arms," Damon added quickly, stealing a kiss from her perfect pink pouty lips.

"Shhh," Elena said, covering the phone with her hand.

Jenna was quiet for a long moment. "Alright. It's just that with having the Salvatore brothers here last night, it made me feel like something wasn't right."

Elena cleared her throat, trying to come up with a good excuse while Damon pulled her exposed earlobe into his mouth and began nibbling on it. It took everything within her to keep the moan from escaping her lips. "Nope, everything's fine. We were just working late on a project for school. And then we got to watching a movie. We all kinda fell asleep." She tried to push Damon off of her, but she knew her efforts were futile. If he wanted to be wrapped around her, there was nothing she could do about it.

"Okay." Jenna answered. "Well don't stay out too late. You have school tomorrow."

Elena smiled, "I'll be home soon, Jenna." She closed her phone and allowed herself one brief moment to relax against Damon's strong body. His eager, hungry kiss took her by surprise there in the dark, but she allowed his tongue entrance to her mouth as soon as he attempted. Somehow, everything felt right when she was in Damon's arms. And as much as she didn't want to think about both of the Salvatore brothers in comparison, sometimes there was just no helping it.

She had always appreciated that Stefan was steadfast and resolute. That he was there when she needed him most. But as Damon pulled her close to him, proving to her just how much he wanted her, how much he needed her, she could feel the excitement rolling off of him like it were tangible waves.

She broke their kiss only when she needed to breathe. "We shouldn't be doing this. Not here."

Damon grinned. "I agree. I'll take you home." He kissed her mouth again in a lustful fit, running his hands up under her shirt until she grabbed a hold of his wrists, causing him to pause.

"Damon," she said quietly.

"God girl, you're killing me with this blue balls crap. You can't keep telling me no." He brushed her bottom lip gently with his thumb, causing her heart to jump and her breath to hitch in her throat.

Elena bit her bottom lip where she could still feel the electricity of his touch. "I have to get back to Caroline and Matt."

Confusion crossed Damon's features. "Were you supposed to stick with them or something?"

She nodded. "Yeah, we're all supposed to be together. Crazy vampires on the loose, remember?"

He frowned. "They were re-enacting the triple X version of Barely Legal Cheerleaders on their way out of here."

"They left?!" The question sounded more like an excited squeal than she'd meant it to.

Damon nodded. "When I was on my way back here to see you."

"Did Stefan see them go?" Elena asked, beginning to get worried. And then she remembered what Matt had said when he came back from the bathroom. Something about having to take Caroline home. He hadn't really meant because he wanted to rip her clothes off and enact what Damon had suggested, had he? Elena wrinkled her nose thinking about it.

Damon moved her around the corner the tiniest bit so that she could see where Stefan was sitting at the bar. "Stefan's not paying attention to much of anything besides wallowing over you, kitten."

Elena swallowed hard, feeling more remorse than she felt she should have. And then her phone broke her concentration as Caroline's ringtone began singing to her.

Elena opened her phone and almost collapsed against Damon. She turned her phone so that he could see it, and Elena was positive she could hear him gulp.

_911_ was all the text said.

* * *

A/N: Dun dun dun… Hehe, sorry of the cliffie. New chapter soon! Reviews are like Lee on American Idol. Necessary to make the whole thing worthwhile. (That means do it. :-p)


	18. Tied With Uncertainty

A/N: I'm not sure how much I can really apologize for not having more frequent updates. I have a feeling that it's going to be this way for a while. Summer is dawning and I am finding myself with far more plans than I anticipated having. So, I apologize again for this taking so long. I hope you're all still reading, just the same. You have all my love if you are.

* * *

**Tied With Uncertainty  
**_How do I end up this way, a constant knot in my gut, tied with uncertainty and with lust  
A classic case I suppose, a haunted man,  
Who can't outrun his ghosts, there in my skin and my bones_  
Constant Knot by City and Colour

* * *

Caroline had no idea what was going on. They had just gotten into the house and Matt was acting strangely. On their way home, he hadn't been able to keep his hands off of her, but she could tell that something was off. His heart just didn't seem into any of it. He had seemed hollow and devoid of the emotion that should be radiating from him during such passion. As soon as they were inside the house, he had completely changed. He had gotten pushy and angry, telling her that he didn't want to do anything to hurt her, but that he would if she didn't listen to him and stay put.

She didn't understand why Matt was acting this way, but she sent Elena the quick 911 text, knowing that she couldn't be here alone with him when he was acting this way. Matt had come back into the room and seen her sending the message. He snatched the phone away and read it, before throwing the cell to the ground and smashing it into a million pieces. The last thing Caroline remembered before everything went dark was Matt coming toward her with a massive knife in his hands as he mumbled something about 'any means necessary'. Then she fainted.

Now that she was conscious again, Caroline looked around the dimly lit area, slowly realizing that she was in her basement. The air was chilly and damp and the only illumination came from the single bulb hanging from the ceiling. Caroline tugged at her hands, hazily acknowledging that they were bound together behind her back and that there was a gag in her mouth to keep her from screaming.

That's when a certain shadow caught her attention in the dark. She felt herself panicking when the shadow began moving toward her. She fought the urge to faint again and whimpered quietly instead, eyes stinging with tears, a scream trapped in her lungs.

* * *

Elena swore under her breath as she released herself from Damon's embrace. She showed him the message. "This is why we were supposed to stay together."

Damon shrugged, which Elena decided was about as close to a look of remorse as she would ever get out of him. Elena rolled her eyes disapprovingly. "We need to help her," she said, stepping out of the dark corner. "You get Stefan, I'll get Bonnie."

Damon grimaced. "I'm not going anywhere." He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Elena took a hold of his arm. "Really Damon? This isn't the time to be childish."

Damon's eyes narrowed and seemed to darken. His angry thoughts ran rampant. Who did she think she was, telling him what to do and how to act? Grabbing him as if he couldn't snap any bone in her body in the blink of an eye if he wanted to? But he kept his cool and simply said, "What's in it for me?"

Elena scoffed. "This is serious. My friend is in real trouble here."

Damon simply shrugged again.

"Ugh!" Elena exclaimed and went off to find Stefan.

* * *

Bonnie could feel that something was wrong. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on edge and there was a palpable tension in the air that hadn't been there a moment ago. She didn't know how she knew that, but she was positive of it. She glanced around, spotting Stefan at the bar with a drink in his hand. Bonnie's brow furrowed involuntarily. That's when she caught sight of Elena- worry and panic written all over her face- heading straight for Stefan. Bonnie's eyes automatically went to where Caroline and Matt had been playing pool. But the table was empty, abandoned. She gulped. _I have a bad feeling about this_, she thought silently. But what she said aloud was "I'll be right back."

Eric smiled and nodded, his mouth full of the burger he was devouring. Bonnie was glad that he couldn't say anything at the moment to stop her. She was up and out of her chair, eyes intent on Elena and Stefan as she made her way to where they were. She noticed Stefan tense in his chair as Elena whispered feverishly in his ear.

"What is it?" Bonnie asked quickly when she joined them.

Elena frowned and Stefan looked paler than usual. "It's Caroline," Elena said. "Something's wrong. She sent me a 911 text." Elena sighed and ran her fingers through her hair nervously. "She left with Matt while I was on the phone with Jenna. I didn't know-"

"Do you know where they'd go?" Stefan asked, interrupting her, his face as intense as the tone of his question. "Did they say anything else?"

"No," Elena said quickly. And then, "Yes. Matt said something about having to take Caroline home."

"Good," Stefan nodded, a quick smile thrown in Elena's direction. He didn't want her to worry too much about having been able to change what had happened. He knew that Elena was one to feel guilty about things that were out of her control. His eyes were gentle as he placed a hand on her arm. But his voice was solid, resolute. "Then we'll go there."

"Just one problem, little brother," Damon piped up- appearing on the other side of Elena in a flash. "You-" he pointed at Stefan. "Haven't been invited in."

Bonnie's hands went to her face-covering it while she forced back tears. Elena looked at him with pleading eyes. "Damon, please."

He smirked, enjoying the fact that they needed him and that he could use it to his full advantage. "Under one condition."

"Name it," Elena and Bonnie said together, and then looked at each other. If the moment hadn't been so tense, they would have had a long giggle about it.

"Once this is all over, I get one favor from each of you."

"Absolutely not," Stefan exclaimed at the same time both girls said "Done."

Elena's eyes went to Stefan and her brow furrowed. Didn't he care about getting Caroline back? They didn't have a lot of time. Elena glanced down at the text message again. Only 3 minutes had passed since it was sent, so why did it feel like an eternity?

"Stefan, we don't have time for this," Elena chided. "It's one favor." She turned to Damon. "As long as it doesn't involve anything that is breaking the law… or any sort of kinky sex."

Damon crossed his arms over his chest. "No deal."

Bonnie took a step forward. "No killing. You can't ask your brother to drink blood. And there will be NO sex unless it's consensual."

Damon's eyes narrowed. "I can make you want anything, little witch." He smirked an evil smirk.

Elena put her hands up between the two of them. "We can work out the details later. Damon, you've got your deal. Please, go to Caroline's house, make sure she's okay. We'll meet you there." She turned to Bonnie. "We don't have time to argue. I'm sorry, you're going to have to say goodnight to your date. We can't split up any more."

Bonnie nodded. "I'll do whatever I can to help Care."

Elena smiled and nodded. "I know you will." And then she turned again. "Stefan," she said, "Get yourself some water or coffee or whatever. Meet me outside. I'll go get the car."

Everyone moved, except Damon who watched for a brief moment the way they all jumped into action. He mused, silently to himself, if this was what it was like to be a part of something good. The thought left his mind as quickly as it had fluttered in, and he disappeared.

Bonnie hurried back to the table where her date was waiting for her. She smiled and instead of sitting, picked up her purse and jacket. "I'm sorry to cut this short," she apologized, "Another mini-crisis. Only not so mini this time."

Eric's dark eyebrows pulled down in concern and confusion. "Is there anything I can do? Phone the police? Give you a lift home?"

Bonnie shook her head. "Thanks, I'm covered. I'll call you later?"

He nodded, pleased. "I look forward to it." He stood up, placed a gentle kiss on her cheek and watched her leave.

Bonnie hurried outside where she expected to meet up with Elena and Stefan. She anticipated seeing Stefan's car pulled up to the front of the Grille, idling and waiting for them, but it wasn't there. Stefan emerged from the restaurant just as a light drizzle began to fall. Bonnie looked at him anxiously. "Where'd you park? China?"

She knew it was just nerves and that she shouldn't be snapping at him. After all he was bound to be just as worried as she was, if not more, and it wasn't fair to act that way towards him. Stefan shook his head and pointed. His head was already feeling clearer and he knew the rest of the effects of the alcohol would be wearing off quickly.

"Over there," he stated, causing Bonnie to follow the direction of his outstretched arm. Sure enough, one row over and several cars up was Stefan's new BMW. Bonnie's feet reacted before her mind. She took off in a sprint, but Stefan still beat her there. The driver's side door was open, the keys in the ignition and the engine running. But Elena was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Caroline whimpered and struggled again against her restraints. By this point, she realized what must have happened to Matt- sometime over the course of the evening a vampire must have gotten to him. Caroline knew what it was like being under their compulsion. Sometimes they made you forget- but sometimes they left you with the wretched memories of what they did to you while they controlled your body and mind. She felt the bile travel upwards from her stomach as memories of Damon biting her flooded her mind before she could stop them. Sometimes he had been gentle, but mostly it was raw, unbridled power that surged through him- turning his eyes black with bloodlust. Caroline pushed the memories back forcing herself to forget. But when she opened her eyes, the memory didn't fade- she could still see his bone-chilling ice-blue eyes staring at her from the darkness. She felt her breathing quicken along with her heart-rate- amazed at how vivid the hallucination was. She had never given her imagination much credit before.

"Is he upstairs?" Damon whispered to her. And she jumped, startled that her hallucination was speaking to her. Reality crashed in when he made his way to her side in the blink of an eye and began untying her. She scoffed, how dare he show up to save her again.

He had just released her feet when footsteps on the stairs stopped him. "Has he been compelled?" Caroline nodded. Damon swore and quickly darted into the shadows again.

Matt hurried down the stairs, the long knife still in his hands. "I'm really sorry about all this Care- you just wouldn't listen. I just have to keep you here til morning and then-"

Damon seized Matt by the shoulders, staring him in the eye, but before he could reverse the compulsion, Matt grabbed Damon's arm and flipped him, landing the vampire on his back. Damon was surprised by how much force had come from the human, and he knew that there was power in him that didn't belong there. Damon laid there on the ground for a moment, staring at the ceiling, absorbing the shock. He laughed. "Didn't see that one coming." He pushed off the floor and was at Matt's throat before Caroline could blink. "So tell me, quarterback, is it regular steroids, or vampire steroids?"

Matt pulled Damon's hands from his throat and then gripped him by the lapel of his leather jacket, shoving Damon against one of the support beams in the center of the room, causing it to crack. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Damon laughed again. "A vampire definitely revved you up right before he made pudding of your brain." Now it was Damon's turn to shove- he pushed Matt into the wall furthest from Caroline and finally kept eye contact long enough to reverse the compulsion. "Whatever that vampire told you to do, you are going to forget it right now, do you understand?" It took a few moments, but suddenly Matt relaxed in Damon's hold, every ounce of tension being released at once. Matt nodded.

Damon couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face. It was nice knowing that the vampire who put the compulsion on Matt was still weak enough, new enough to not fully know what he was doing. Because Damon knew that _his_ compulsion was going to stick. _His_ compulsions were irreversible. But whatever vampire had done this to Matt had been sloppy and hadn't placed the thoughts deep enough into the football players mind to really make them stick. "Now listen to me, Matt. You are going to get in your car and go straight home. Tomorrow, when you wake up, all you will remember is that you took Caroline home, said goodnight and went home yourself. Do you understand?"

Matt nodded again. "I understand."

Damon spun Matt around and pointed him toward the stairs. To Caroline's surprise and relief, Matt disappeared up the stairs. She heard the front door close softly, then the sound of the engine revving to life in the driveway, and as the engine noise faded, Caroline found herself finally able to breathe again. Her face relaxed from a look of horror into something more akin to contempt and disgust. Damon ungagged her and began at the rope on her hands.

"When did you become one of Robin Hood's Merry Men?" she spat, pulling her hands around to look at her wrists as she held them gingerly.

He cocked a grin. "I don't work for free. I'm here strictly on business. My brother hasn't been invited in, so he got babysitting duty with the other two while I get to play hero."

"They didn't even come with you?"

Damon's brow ticked up at that. "They were supposed to meet me here."

Caroline stood up, moved to the window and tiptoed so that she could see out through the grime covered window and frowned. "Well, they didn't."

Damon could feel himself tense now. Something was wrong, it had to be. He could still see the look of panic when Elena had realized something that had happened to Caroline. She wouldn't have not come. Just then Damon's cell rang, startling both of them.

"Yeah?" Damon said, pressing it to his ear. He listened for a moment, face hardening and lips pressed into a thin line.

"What happened?" Caroline demanded.

Damon nodded once to the person on the phone. "I'll be right there."

He hung up, grabbing Caroline by the hand and leading her upstairs. "Stay here and don't let anyone in."

"What happened?" She demanded again.

He sighed, exasperated. He didn't want to be having the conversation with her. He wanted to be halfway back to the Grille by now. "This thing with Matt was just a diversion to split us up." A pause. "Someone took Elena."

* * *

Stefan had just hung up with his brother when his phone rang again. He glanced at the screen, surprised to see Elena's name flashing across as the incoming call. He answered quickly, frantic. "Elena, my god, you had us so worried. Please tell me you're alright."

The voice that answered on the other end was not Elena's. "I'm sorry. Elena can't come to the phone right now. She's a little…. tied up."

Stefan growled, deep and menacing. "Don't you dare touch her or I'll-"

"Now now," the voice on the other end chided. "Watch that temper Stefan. Wouldn't want you saying something you'll only regret later."

"What do you want?" Stefan asked, trying a different approach. "I'll do anything."

The voice seemed amused. "Good. I'm so glad we don't have to do this the hard way. You're smart for cooperating."

"But I have to know that she's alright first." Stefan said, looking as if he would crush the phone in his hand at any moment with as tightly as he was holding onto it. Bonnie could barely hear what the voice on the other end was saying, but she wished she hadn't heard any of it.

As if on cue, Elena's voice pierced through the phone. "STEFAN!" She screamed. "Please help me!" then her shrieks dissolved into sobs.

"Hopefully she'll still have some blood in her by the time you get here." And then the phone went dead.

"Get here?" Stefan yelled, frustrated. "Where is here?" He tried calling back, but the line just rang and rang before going to voicemail.

Bonnie was leaning against the car, fear for both of her friends overwhelming her. Now she was positive that what the vampires wanted was her. They wouldn't have gone through all of the trouble to get her friends away from her if they weren't going to use them as bargaining chips. She glanced over at Stefan just in time to see Damon appear at his side, demanding to know what was going on. Bonnie was standing just out of earshot to hear what they were saying. Her cell phone beeped in her hand. She opened the incoming text message that had come from Elena's phone, instantly wishing that she hadn't.

_Fells church ruins. One hour. Be there alone, little witch, or your friend dies._

Bonnie gulped audibly and shut her phone, shoving it into her pocked. She had no idea how she was going to get away from Damon and Stefan with everything that was going on. And there was no way she could convince them to let her go alone.

Stefan came over to her then, not noticing the look on her face. "Bonnie, do you have somewhere safe you can go?"

She took a deep breath, trying to think quickly as to where the best place to go would be. Caroline's was the closest to the church ruins. Maybe she could make it there without raising suspicion from the boys. "I can go to Caroline's," she replied. "Probably best to stay together anyway."

Stefan nodded. "Good. Go there and we'll call you when we find Elena." His eyes were panicked still, but his voice remained calm.

"Where will you look for her?" Bonnie asked, making sure to keep too much curiosity from her voice. She didn't want them thinking she would try to follow them.

Stefan sighed. "We're going to start at that frat house from last night. Trace any scents we can find that went either here or to Elena's house."

Bonnie had no way of knowing if she would run into them in the woods or not. She hoped that the ruins were far enough away from that side of town that they wouldn't come looking that way. After all, it seemed as though the life of her best friend depended on her coming alone. "Be safe, Stefan." She said quietly.

"You too," he replied quickly. "Call if you hear anything from her."

Bonnie shifted her eyes away from his gaze. "I will," she answered. And then Bonnie took Stefan's keys from his outstretched hand, got into his car and drove straight to Caroline's house- almost.

Once Bonnie got onto Caroline's street, she took a shortcut onto the dirt road which led to the old church ruins. She sat in the idling car for several minutes, trying to think of what Grams would do. She knew Grams would always do anything for the ones that she loved. Bonnie slowly opened the door, glanced around the darkened forest for any sign of movement, and then cautiously made her way to the Fell's Church ruins.

* * *

A/N: Don't hate me for the cliffies? Please? I just had a hard time figuring out how to end this chapter, because there's going to be a lot going on soon. I'd love to know your thoughts, good or bad. Thanks lovelies.


	19. Without You There

**Without You There**

_Comin' down the world turned over  
And angels fall without you there  
And I go on as you grow colder  
Or are you someone's prayer?_  
Black Balloon by The Goo Goo Dolls

* * *

Bonnie couldn't help feeling nervous, especially knowing exactly what she was walking into. These vampires needed her for something, something that involved the church ruins and a lot of bloodshed. Of that much, Bonnie was certain. Anything beyond that still eluded her, but that was enough to steal the breath from her throat at every noise the forest made.

As she approached the church ruins, Bonnie slowed her pace. Her heart and mind were both racing as the fallen building came into view and reality hit home. She was heading straight for the beings responsible for her friends disappearance. She was heading straight for the beings that were attempting to release a flock of hungry, angry vampires from a 100 plus year old tomb. She was heading straight for death.

Bonnie let out a yelp when her cell phone vibrated in her pocket, and quickly covered her mouth with both hands. Good thing she hadn't been trying to sneak up on anyone. She pulled her phone out of her pocket once her heart rate had sufficiently slowed and looked at the text message from Caroline.

_Where are you? Stefan said you were coming over here. That was like 40 minutes ago._

Bonnie felt bad about making her friends worry even more. But she knew that this was what she had to do to get Elena back. There was no other way. The vampires who had taken Elena had made that perfectly clear.

Shoving her phone back into her pocket and glancing around nervously, Bonnie forced her mind into a state of calm. She would need all of her wits if she hoped to stay alive in the coming minutes. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, listening to the forest around her.

* * *

A man's grunting startled Elena back to consciousness, and the pain that shot throughout her body made her wish for the dark nothingness of passing out again. She could feel the puncture wounds that littered her body as they continued to ooze her precious and dwindling life-force. She thought there had been four or five vampires there at one point, all draining her for their own twisted amusement and to sate their thirsts, but they moved so quickly she couldn't be sure of the number. There was just one there now- his back to her. He looked more like he was keeping others out than keeping her in. Elena's mind tumbled one thought over the next, not able to keep herself focused on any one thing. She wasn't surprised at how light-headed she felt, however; she knew she must only have the bare minimum of blood in her. Just enough to keep her heart pumping.

Elena felt her lips move as she tried to speak- to ask the vampire what they wanted with her- but she felt too tired to be able to move much. In the end, all that escaped her lips was a barely audible whimper of pain.

"Don't worry princess," a voice from the dark cooed. "Death isn't so bad." There was an evil laugh that reverberated through the dimly lit area and then she felt a hand on her thigh, inching its way up under her skirt. If she had any more strength, she would have run, moved, flinched. But as it was, Elena barely found herself with the strength to breathe. She was desperate for someone to intervene, silently pleading in her head for someone to rescue her.

"Josiah! What did I tell you about the girl?" yelled the vampire that was supposed to be guarding her, as he crossed the distance between them and yanked the other's hand away from her flesh before throwing him into the cement wall.

"We were just having a little fun," the slimeball said, gesturing to Elena, who was still frozen in place. He crushed a piece of the cement—that had broken off on impact—in his hand. His eyes glittered evilly in the poorly lit space, and Elena felt the bile churning in her stomach, knowing what he must be thinking.

"None of you were supposed to feed on her," the first vampire growled. "I explained that to you already. She is for trading purposes only. I can't risk having her dead before we get the witch."

Elena shivered involuntarily at that, and although at first she thought it was because of his words, part of her felt alarmed by something else. Something that continued to elude her as she thought about her friend's wellbeing. Bonnie had told Elena that she thought everything was happening because of her, Elena just hadn't wanted to believe it. But now the vampires were confirming her worst nightmares. Being involved in the supernatural world had brought so much grief and heartache, so many problems on her friends. And now Elena was not only worried about Caroline and what had happened to her with Matt, but she was now scared for Bonnie as well.

Josiah—the one that had tried to have his way with Elena—sneered in her direction. "She doesn't smell good anymore anyway. Not enough blood left in her to be worth drinking."

The other whirled to face her, looking over her wounds and listening intently to her heartbeat, which was considerably slower than it should have been. He swore under his breath. "Any great ideas now?" he said, narrowing his eyes at Josiah. Something about the way he spoke set off alarms all over Elena's mind, but she couldn't figure out—other than being afraid for her life and those of her friends—why he would cause this reaction in her. He hadn't threatened her or fed on her himself. In fact, he was trying to protect her and keep her out of harm's way. So why was her body reacting so violently to his voice?

Josiah shrugged. "What's one human life? You know the witch will come regardless. You've seen just how much she values the friendship and approval of this one."

It wasn't until he moved out of the shadows and Elena could get a clearer look of his face that she felt her heart rate quicken and her breath catch in her throat as all of the pieces finally slid into place.

A mind-numbingly handsome grin spread slowly across his face as Eric met her gaze. "You're right. I have seen just that."

* * *

Stefan and Damon split up following two distinct scents as they raced through the woods from the frat house back toward Mystic Falls. Damon felt that this little endeavor his brother had set up was futile, but refrained (for once) from saying so. After what Damon had deemed entirely too long to be stuck on such an inane course of action, he finally caught a fresh trail of Elena's scent. And although he would never admit it, for the briefest moment, Damon wondered if maybe his brother's plan had been a good one all along.

Stefan on the other hand, was coming up cold of any scent that he recognized, although he did come across several that seemed to linger around the old church ruins. Stefan could only imagine what that meant, knowing exactly what was inside the church, and knowing that whoever was lurking around wasn't here because of the scenery. He circled the area twice, trying to find any direction that seemed to be more prevalent than the others. He doubled back more times than he would have liked to admit, always coming up with dead ends when he picked a route. Growing frustrated with himself and nervous for the well-being of Elena, Stefan decided to go back to the Grille and see if he could match any of the scents from the woods and follow them.

As Stefan weaved in and out of trees on his frantic search to save Elena, the fact that he crossed a fresh track Bonnie's scent didn't even register in his mind.

Damon slowed down as he approached a house so deep in the woods it would have been nearly impossible to find for anyone other than a vampire. Damon assumed it was an old hunting cabin—hopefully abandoned by humans—and that breaking in and getting Elena would be a piece of cake. He ran a quick perimeter of the area, making sure that there were no guards outside keeping watch on the building. He strained his ears, pushing his abilities to their limit to be able to make out the two distinct heartbeats inside the house. One was weak, slow, barely holding on. The other was a steadier, healthy heartbeat that he knew—just by listening—didn't belong to Elena.

* * *

Bonnie felt their presence before she could see them. She knew there were three of them there in the woods, moving toward her at lightning fast speed. She barely had time to gasp before she opened her eyes and they were before her.

"So the witch—at least—listens to directions," one said.

The only woman in the group scowled and peered around the darkness. "As long as those 'darling' Salvatore brothers aren't lurking somewhere." The way she sneered 'darling' made Bonnie think that she knew them- at least Damon, anyway.

The man with dark hair and emerald eyes spoke up again. "She's not that stupid," he winked at Bonnie then. "Besides, it's not like the vegetarian is any match for us. And Damon can't take us all on at once."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes, she wasn't going to sit around and let them make a fool out of her any longer. She didn't have the patience or the nerve for that anymore. "Where is Elena?" She asked, taking a step toward the trio.

The girl, who Bonnie guessed to have been in her mid twenties when she had been turned, narrowed her gaze on Bonnie and growled deep in her throat. "Who gave you permission to talk, little witch?"

Bonnie scoffed. Despite being scared out of her mind, she found herself somewhat annoyed by the games these vampires always seemed to play. "I have a name. You know what it is. The whole 'witch' thing isn't really necessary, is it?"

The third vampire sighed, as if the antics of his comrades was tiring him. "Get on with it then, Amelia."

The female turned and hissed at him. Bonnie could feel the tensions between the two. It was obvious they weren't used to working together. Both seemed to want to be the leader. Amelia obviously didn't appreciate being told what to do.

"Yeah. Er-" the first one broke off mid-sentence. "We're supposed to be back before two. So we better get going."

Bonnie held her ground, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not doing anything for you until you give me Elena. You promised her safe return if I came out here."

Amelia giggled. "I don't think so sugar."

Trying not to betray any emotion, Bonnie kept her breathing slow and steady, although she knew they could hear the acceleration of her pulse. "Where. Is. Elena?" She asked again.

Amelia was in her face before Bonnie could blink, the vampire's hand tangled in Bonnie's curls, holding her head back so that her neck was exposed. "Don't you _**ever**_ think that you can try to threaten, bully or overpower us, little witch. Understand?"

Bonnie nodded blankly before she was thrown to the ground, Amelia letting her go and tossing her aside like a child's broken toy. She landed on the ground with a thud, her head connecting with a sharp rock jutting from the landscape. Bonnie's hand quickly went to the back of her skull where she was dealt the blow and found warm, sticky liquid on her fingers when she examined them.

"Oops, looks like I broke her," Amelia giggled, her fangs exposing themselves over her full pouty lips.

Bonnie closed her eyes tight and slowed her breathing again, forcing herself into a calm. She harnessed the meager powers that she did possess into quickly closing the wound on her head before the vampires in her presence got any ideas.

The one with the green eyes tilted his head and looked at Bonnie curiously. "I see you are getting the hang of things quickly, young Skywalker."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, and pushed herself to a sitting position, forcing her voice to convey all of the confidence that she knew she didn't actually possess. "Parlor tricks," she replied. "But we're not here for this. So tell me where Elena is, and I will help you with whatever you want."

"Charles, I see you making eyes at the girl. You will NOT allow her to get to you." Amelia said, her tone stern. "You know how _he _feels about her."

One of Bonnie's brows quirked up; she couldn't help but wonder who the 'he' was that they were referring to. But nothing could take her mind completely away from the reason she was here. Bonnie didn't care about how anyone felt about her, she was there to get Elena back home safe.

* * *

Eric drew in a deep breath through his nose. "Ah, yes," he said with a smile spreading across his face. "The time is drawing nigh. I can sense her fear. It's palpable, even from here."

Elena felt herself drifting in and out of consciousness and was finding it difficult to concentrate on the words enough to make sense of them. She tried to move but even breathing was proving difficult. How much blood had those vampires taken from her?

"She's dying," Eric said, listening to her heartbeat. He grabbed Josiah by his scruffy hair and pulled him within an inch of Elena's face. If she could have tensed, she would have.

"What do you want me to do about it?"Josiah whined, looking indifferently at the brunette who was fading fast.

"Only one thing to do," Eric replied before tearing a chunk of flesh from Josiah's neck and pressing the gaping wound to Elena's mouth. Josiah screamed but didn't struggle like Elena would have expected him to do. "Drink, little queen," Eric cooed in her ear. "You shall be stronger than Katherine ever was."

Elena did as she was told, drinking the oozing red liquid in huge gulps until she didn't think she could hold any more. She did it merely out of self-preservation and not due to anything Eric repeated over and over again in her ear. Elena knew that dying with too much vampire blood in your system would bring you back as one, and she hoped that her heart was strong enough to revive itself.

Eric threw the limp vampire body across the dark basement and laughed. Finally Elena felt strong enough to be able to do anything other than breathe. Her heart and mind were both racing a million miles a minute and Eric picked up Elena's pink cellphone and dialed Bonnie's stored number. Elena could hear several rings on the other end until finally it went to voicemail. Elena's phone was crushed in Eric's palm a second later.

"Looks like your friend didn't cooperate, darling. You might end the night as an undead after all." He ran the back of his hand down her cheek and Elena spat blood and saliva at him.

"You wouldn't dare," Elena barked.

"Damn straight he wouldn't," Damon's voice rang through the shadows of the dank basement. He took a few steps toward where Eric was holding Elena tightly, his hand moving to her neck as if he might snap it at any moment. He looked Eric dead in the eye- and winked.

* * *

A/N: So… I know it was another long time between updates. Just please stick with me? It's not as easy as you might think to keep track of everyone involved. Especially when Bonnie keeps trying to steal the spotlight. (I don't know what is getting into her lately). Anywho- let me know what you thought? Thanks lovelies.


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